Manatees Released After Two Years Of Rehabilitation
Researchers To Keep Tabs On Manatees In Wild
POSTED: 3:05 pm EST March 29,
2005
UPDATED: 5:05 am EST March 30,
2005
MIAMI -- Two manatees are getting a new home and a new lease on life.
More than two years ago, a male manatee, Bo, and a female manatee, Daisy, were rescued in Banana River near Merritt Island. They were taken to Sea World in Orlando for rehabilitation.
Images: Manatees Released After Rehab
Images: Manatees Found Dead Along Coast
Images: Baby Manatee Recovers At Seaquarium
Images: Manatees Lifted From Storm Drain (Dec. 2004)
Images: Manatees Mate Along Shore (July 2004)
On Tuesday, Bo and Daisy were taken to Black Point Marina in southwest Miami-Dade County for their release.When Bo and Daisy, 2 ½-year-old manatees who might be twins, were found more than two years ago, each weighed a little over 200 pounds and were emaciated. Now, both weigh almost 800 pounds.After rehabilitation at Sea World in Orlando and conditioning at Miami's Seaquarium, the final stop on land was Black Point Marina."These are the success stories. If it was not for efforts such as ours, these animals would not be here today. So, at the very end we gave them a second chance at life and we hope they do well," Robert Rose, of Seaquarium, said.Bo and Daisy, who have been electronically tagged, will now be tracked by satellite. Monica Ross, of the Wildlife Trust, said that because not all manatees readjust to the wild easily, tagging allows rescue workers to find the manatees if they get in trouble."This is an electronic device, so if we lose the tag, we can still find the manatee," Ross said.The satellite tags bob in the water for a year, if all goes well, allowing the organizations to track Bo and Daisy.Sea World's specially designed manatee boat eased the manatees out toward the release point in the culmination of cooperation between Sea World, Seaquarium, U.S. Fish and Wild Life and the Wildlife Trust."We taught them to eat sea grass," Chris Plante, of Wildlife Trust, said. "They gained weight off of it, and hopefully they will translate it to the wild."The workers who cooperated to save Bo and Daisy hope that the manatees will translate all they have taught about sea grass and life in the open water.To see how Bo and Daisy are doing after their release into the wild, visit the WildTracks Web site.
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Images: Manatees Released After RehabImages: Manatees Found Dead Along CoastImages: Baby Manatee Recovers At SeaquariumImages: Manatees Lifted From Storm Drain (Dec. 2004)Images: Manatees Mate Along Shore (July 2004) On Tuesday, Bo and Daisy were taken to Black Point Marina in southwest Miami-Dade County for their release.When Bo and Daisy, 2 ½-year-old manatees who might be twins, were found more than two years ago, each weighed a little over 200 pounds and were emaciated. Now, both weigh almost 800 pounds.After rehabilitation at Sea World in Orlando and conditioning at Miami's Seaquarium, the final stop on land was Black Point Marina."These are the success stories. If it was not for efforts such as ours, these animals would not be here today. So, at the very end we gave them a second chance at life and we hope they do well," Robert Rose, of Seaquarium, said.Bo and Daisy, who have been electronically tagged, will now be tracked by satellite. Monica Ross, of the Wildlife Trust, said that because not all manatees readjust to the wild easily, tagging allows rescue workers to find the manatees if they get in trouble."This is an electronic device, so if we lose the tag, we can still find the manatee," Ross said.The satellite tags bob in the water for a year, if all goes well, allowing the organizations to track Bo and Daisy.Sea World's specially designed manatee boat eased the manatees out toward the release point in the culmination of cooperation between Sea World, Seaquarium, U.S. Fish and Wild Life and the Wildlife Trust."We taught them to eat sea grass," Chris Plante, of Wildlife Trust, said. "They gained weight off of it, and hopefully they will translate it to the wild."The workers who cooperated to save Bo and Daisy hope that the manatees will translate all they have taught about sea grass and life in the open water.To see how Bo and Daisy are doing after their release into the wild, visit the WildTracks Web site.
Previous Stories:
- March 15, 2005: 29 Manatees Found Dead In 10 Days
- March 11, 2005: Orphaned Baby Manatee Expected To Gain Weight, Be Released
- March 9, 2005: Red Tide Suspected In Score Of Manatee Deaths
- January 5, 2005: Manatee Death Toll Set At 264 In 2004
- January 3, 2005: Two Manatees Rescued From Miami Storm Drain
- August 10, 2004: One Of 7 Dolphins Rescued From Mass Beaching Dies At Sarasota Lab
- July 27, 2004: Manatees Mate Along South Florida Shore
- July 22, 2004: Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act
- December 1, 2003: Manatee Phone Number Connected To Sex Chat Line
- May 27, 2003: Boaters Challenge Manatee Zone Speed Limit
- January 10, 2003: Judgment Day For Manatees
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