Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 11:21 am Post subject: Disney Releases Orphaned Manatee at Blue Spring State Park
Disney Releases Orphaned Manatee at Blue Spring State Park
ORANGE CITY, Fla. (Orlando Sentinel) – The last time Bock the manatee saw the St. Johns River, he was a 66-pound orphan calf, separated from his mother for three days. Nearly eight years and 1,000 pounds later, Bock was released by a Walt Disney World team Tuesday to the river's main manatee haven, the warm waters of Blue Spring. Bock is the first of three manatees being released this week at Blue Spring State Park – and the first of 20 manatees being released from a federal quarantine of sea cows exposed to a skin-lesion-causing virus. He never developed any lesions, but his release was delayed because he had been swimming with a manatee that had the wartlike lesions caused by a papilloma virus. In January, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the quarantine could be lifted because this particular papilloma was common to wild manatees, and that it was no more serious than the a common cold sore. "It's annoying for the animal, but it doesn't appear to be life-threatening," said federal agency spokesman Chuck Underwood. In 2001, the manatee had been rescued near Jacksonville after state biologists hadn't seen his mother in three days. First reared at SeaWorld Orlando, he was transferred to The Seas with Nemo and Friends at Epcot in 2003. Jane Davis, aquarium curator at The Seas, said Bock was fed water hyacinth and hydrilla to prepare him for release. Two other manatees, also held under quarantine, will be released at the park Thursday. They are a female named Amber, who was rescued as a calf and reared alongside Bock at SeaWorld, and a female named Rita, who weighs 3,000 pounds and will be lowered into the spring with a crane. Bock has been fitted with satellite tags, so that scientists can monitor his progress in the wild. The public can track him at wildtracks.org. _________________
Joined: May 22, 2007 Posts: 415 Location: Atlanta, GA
Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 1:38 pm Post subject:
Very cool! I've only seen a manatee in the wild once, and it was such a wonderful sight. Hope the little orphan (er, big orphan) has a happy new home. _________________ Beth's Blog
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