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Museum Media News:
The South Florida Museum's one-stop news update for the media
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For Immediate Release
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Feb. 2, 2017
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Media Contact
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office: 941.216.3460,
cell: 646.522.1779.
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South Florida Museum Returns Rehabilitated Manatee to the Wild
Museum staff also
expand role in manatee conservation activities
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With a stroke of his tail, Sarasolo returned to the wild today, Thursday, Feb. 2, after about 18 months of rehabilitation at the South Florida Museum. Sarasolo, who became one of Snooty's rehab pals in July 2015, was rescued after he was found suffering from cold stress in Phillippi Creek. The orphaned calf was just 366 pounds when he arrived at the Museum after his initial treatment in the Lowry Park Zoo's critical care hospital.
We released Sarasolo --
now weighing in at 743 pounds and just under 8 feet long -- at Tampa Electric's Manatee Viewing Center at the
Big Bend Power Station in Apollo Beach, an area where other manatees are congregating to keep warm. The hope is that he will find a mentor -- another manatee (or group of manatees) -- that already know all the winter hot spots and can help him find food and navigate to and from these areas.
Since manatees are spread over thousands of miles during the summer, we typically release cold stress rehab animals during the winter when the animals are grouped together in warm water sites. Manatees typically start moving when the water temperatures dip below about 68 degrees F. If they're exposed to prolonged cold temperatures, like Sarasolo was, they start to lose body heat and cannot adequately digest their food. That can lead to a condition called cold stress, which can be fatal.
"Sarasolo has been very active during his time with us, so we're hopeful he'll do well in the wild," said Marilyn Margold, Director of Living Collections. "Releases are always a bittersweet time for us because we come to care about each individual so much while they are with us and we've been working toward this day for more than a year and a half. We're excited to see him return to being a wild manatee."
Thanks to everyone who has made a donation to help us care for sick and injured manatees -- you made it possible for us to return Sarasolo to the wild!
The Museum has cared for 30 manatees undergoing rehabilitation, including Icecube, who remains in rehab at the Museum.
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Marilyn Margold, Director of Living Collections at the South Florida Museum.
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 South Florida Museum Increases Manatee Partnership Activities
We're pleased to announce that our five manatee care staff members are now trained and permitted to perform additional duties as part of the
Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership. The Partnership is a self-governing group originally created by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that is made up of organizations that participate in manatee rescue and rehabilitation.
While we've been a Stage 2 Manatee Rehabilitation Facility as part of our membership in the MRP since 1998, we're now also able to act as first responders to respond to calls of sick or injured manatees and determine whether they need help and to also monitor animals that have been returned to the wild.
What does a first responder do?
Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) often receives calls from the public about marine animals in distress, but FWC staff can't be in all places at all times. Instead, they enlist trained volunteers to go out to a location where an animal has been reported to be in distress. Once on scene, trained responders follow a specific protocol to determine the species of animal reported and whether it is truly in distress or whether it is behaving in a normal manner. Once we verify that a manatee really is in need of help, the FWC can then act to mount an appropriate intervention, such as a rescue.
What do manatee monitors do?
In addition to acting as first responders to verify animals in distress, Museum manatee care staff members are also now able to help monitor animals that have been returned to the wild from rehabilitation facilities.
In particular, we hope we will be able to help with manatees that we've cared for at the Museum.
"We're really pleased that we can take on a wider role as part of the Museum's commitment to help ensure the safety and survival of wild manatees," said Marilyn Margold, Director of Living Collections at the Museum. "As a facility that has been involved in rehabilitation for more than 18 years, we're glad to expand our abilities to be on the ground when animals are in distress and to support their rescue. We also think it's important that we continue to monitor animals that we return to the wild -- like Sarasolo -- to help ensure that they are re-integrating successfully."
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About the South Florida Museum
As the largest natural and cultural history museum on Florida's Gulf Coast, the South Florida Museum offers engaging exhibits as well as educational programs that interpret the scientific and cultural knowledge of Florida, the world and our universe. In addition to permanent exhibits, the Museum features a constantly changing lineup of temporary exhibitions -- offering something new to discover with each visit. The Museum includes the all-digital Bishop Planetarium Theater and the Parker Manatee Aquarium. Celebrating its 50th anniversary year, the Bishop Planetarium is the Gulf Coast's premier astronomy education facility, outfitted with a state-of-the-art Planetarium and projection system with stunning multimedia capabilities. The Parker Manatee Aquarium is home to Snooty™, Manatee County's official mascot and the oldest known manatee in the world, as certified by Guinness World Records. Snooty shares his Aquarium pool with other manatees that have been injured or orphaned and are being rehabilitated for return to the wild as part of the Manatee Rehabilitation and Release Partnership.
South Florida Museum hours vary by season. Visit SouthFloridaMuseum.org for details or call 941-746-4131.
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