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Lowry Zoo Manatee Freed

Tribune photo by JULIE BUSCH

Virginia Edmonds (left), assistant curator of Florida mammals at Lowry Park Zoo, and Tanya Ward, Florida mammals zookeeper, try to calm Hurricane as they place him on a stretcher so he can be released into the wild on Monday.

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By NEIL JOHNSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 11, 2008

TAMPA - Sometime this morning a manatee named Hurricane experienced something he hadn't seen in his 24 years: open water.

Born and raised in captivity, Hurricane was taken from the Lowry Park Zoo this morning and released at Blue Spring State Park in Volusia County.

Two manatees from SeaWorld, Annie and Rocket both rescued as orphaned calves, also were released.

Hurricane was born at the Miami Seaquarium on Nov. 20, 1983. He, along with Rocket and Annie, will be equipped with a satellite tracking device and will be checked three times in the next year to be sure they're feeding, said David Murphy, staff veterinarian at the zoo.

The release site was picked because the spring-fed water is consistently about 72 degrees, considered warm for February, and the park is a manatee refuge near the St. Johns River.

It's also the winter home for hundreds of manatees.

Because Hurricane never had to forage for food, he can learn from the other manatees. Workers at the zoo have been introducing him to the types of aquatic vegetation he'll encounter in the wild.

"It will take a few days to a week for him to acclimate," Murphy said.

A manatee can consume up to 10 percent of its body weight a day. At 1,580 pounds, that would be nearly 160 pounds for Hurricane.

In fresh water, manatees mainly eat water hyacinth and hydrilla. Their main diet in saltwater is sea grass

But they also eat oak leaves, Brazilian pepper leaves and even lawn grass trimmings, said Ann Spellman, marine mammal biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Hurricane's trip started this morning when zoo workers got him into a heavy sling, though not without a lot of gentle nudging on their part and some thrashing by the 10-foot manatee.

A portable crane hauled the sling to a truck.

Without a crane, it took about 14 people to hoist Hurricane from the truck to the spring run at the park.

At 24, he is considered a mature adult but not elderly. A manatee in Bradenton raised in captivity is 56 years old.

"He's not a senior citizen," Spellman said. "He's in his prime."

Released manatees, either ones in captivity since they were youngsters such as Annie and Rocket or captive-raised such as Hurricane, aren't all complete success stories.

Wildlife officials are monitoring the progress of Dundee, a captive-born manatee released from Lowry Park Zoo a year ago.

"He's having some trouble. He's losing weight. He's an animal we're watching very closely," Spellman said.

But Gene, Dundee's father, also was released from the zoo and is doing well.

Another manatee, one named Georgia, concerns wildlife officials because she is too friendly with people.

The three manatees released today join an estimated 2,800 others in Florida waters.

Last year, 317 manatees died from causes that range from cold to red tide to collisions with boats. Through Feb. 1, 37 manatees have died this year, seven from boat collisions and 11 from cold.

Manatees are considered an endangered species, though the state last year considered changing the designation from endangered to threatened.

After delaying the decision in September at the request of Gov. Charlie Crist, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in December voted to keep the manatee's designation at endangered.

Captive-born manatees are released to help replenish the wild stock and free space in facilities that rehabilitate injured or sick animals.

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