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Mo is doing just swimmingly

The manatee has lived successfully since his third release into the wild.

By BARBARA BEHRENDT
Published March 4, 2007

CRYSTAL RIVER - A year and a half ago, the release was a calculated risk.

For the third time, Mo the manatee was going to get a shot at freedom.

Now, as those who have monitored the animal's progress prepare to do what could be their last health assessment in the coming weeks, they believe Mo has finally gotten the knack of doing what he was always meant to do: be a wild manatee.

"We're kind of proud of him," said Monica Ross of Wildlife Trust. She has been tracking Mo since his release in Crystal River in August 2005.

The manatee had a reputation, since he had been in nearly every Florida facility that rehabilitates manatees. When he was released in 1998, he swam to the Dry Tortugas and had to be recaptured.

Released again in 2002 in Crystal River, Mo spent a year in the wild but again had to be recaptured after he was found in the Tampa Bay area emaciated and suffering from a boat strike.

While in captivity at the Miami Seaquarium, keepers spent time teaching Mo about foods available in salt water.

Ross said she doesn't know exactly what had worked for Mo, but he has maintained a decent body weight throughout the winter, which is an important indicator of whether he will succeed without monitoring.

If the next health assessment goes as planned, Ross said that the tracking equipment would be removed and the regular monitoring will stop. The tracking tag has caused Mo some problems in the past. He has gotten it tangled and, when he was in Crystal River last winter, it provided an easy target for swimmers to find Mo.

At one point federal wildlife officials urged people to avoid interacting with Mo, despite the fact that he was easy to spot because the radio tag floats on the surface and is easy to spot.

Ross and others had worried at one point last winter that the manatee wasn't eating enough and even tried to capture him one other time but he slipped away.

But this winter he has been in Tampa Bay and Ross said he started eating intensely as soon as the weather started to cool.

"It's really hard to tell what worked for him this time," Ross said. "But he did learn something more from each time he was released."

Fast Facts:

Setting Mo free

First attempt, 1998: Had to be recaptured when he swam near Key West to the Dry Tortugas, well outside normal manatee habitat.

Second attempt, 2002: Had to be recaptured after he was struck by a boat.

Third attempt, 2005: So far, so good. If Mo remains in good condition, regular monitoring will end.

[Last modified March 3, 2007, 20:10:23]