ORLANDO, Fla. — Twelve manatees that have been in rehabilitation for anywhere between two to four years were successfully released to their natural habitat, the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP) announced in a news release.
It all happened in a single day. The manatees were released at Blue Spring State Park which is a vital, warm-water habitat for manatees, the non-profit group said. It's also one of the largest winter gathering sites for the species in Florida. Many of the manatees were rescued as orphaned calves during the ongoing unusual mortality event, which has left thousands of animals malnourished and starving.
The dozen manatees that were released spent the past several years rehabilitating at many facilities, some outside of Florida.
"Over the past several years, we have been called upon to rescue an alarmingly high number of injured, sick and starving manatees off the Florida coastline," Monica Ross, chairman of the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership and director of Manatee Research and Conservation for Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, said in a statement. "Through the efforts of the MRP partners, I am thrilled that we were able to return the highest number of manatees to their natural environment in a single day."
The twelve manatees released come from many different rehabilitation facilities including Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, Miami Seaquarium, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and SeaWorld Orlando. Their names are Asha, Scampi, Ferret, Finch, Artemis, Bianca, Inigo, Lilpeep, Maximoff, Alby, Manhattan and Swimshady.
Each of the manatees will wear a GPS tracking device for research and to ensure acclimation to the natural habitat for the next year. Monitoring will be vital in learning how orphan manatees adapt to their natural habitat, MRP said.
"Today we want to recognize the outstanding dedication and efforts made by the stranding network partners and the MRP organizations who worked together to rescue and rehabilitate these 12 manatees," Andy Garrett, Manatee Rescue coordinator from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, said in a statement. "We are excited that those who safely rescued, transported and cared for these manatees are here now as we return them into Blue Spring to start the final phase of their recovery."