Name: C.C. Released: February 2009 Data Map

Biography: CC was rescued from the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers, Lee County, Florida, as an orphan on July 1, 2006. He was 121 cm long and weighed 55 lbs. Florida Fish and Wildlife transported him to SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida, to rehabilitate, and he was released at Crystal River on March 4, 2009. At that point he had grown to 240 cm in length and weighed 465 lbs. He began the adaptation process but then found a cove in the Gulf just outside Crystal River and did not appear to be leaving it often enough to get sufficient fresh water and food. He was brought back to SeaWorld in Orlando on April 10, 2009, for dehydration and malnutrition. CC now weighs 800 lbs and is 255 cm long. He is scheduled for release in Crystal River in mid-February 2010.

Field Notes:

3/4/09: C.C. was given a blue and white tag and loaded onto SeaWorld's vessel, then released into Crystal River's sanctuary at noon.  He began by pacing circles and remaining submerged the first minute, then milled across the river to boat docks within the sanctuary on the other side.  There were two other animals within 50 yards of him near the docks, one also milling and one feeding.  C.C.'s breaths were about 3-4 minutes apart.

3/9/09: Some pacing behavior was seen from C.C. in Kings Bay, so we will be paying close attention to this.

3/10/09-3/16/09: C.C. was observed in northern Kings Bay, Crystal River, exploring the area by himself. He would broaden his circles while moving further and further along the coast. During the later part of the week and over the weekend he has moved down river to the mouth of Crystal River where there is plentiful estuarine seagrass and is now slowly making his way back up the river again.

3/17/09 – 3/24/09:  C.C. has stayed in an area out in the gulf that is relatively hard to reach by boat, but a flight to observe him has been scheduled for Tuesday, 3/24/09, and another boat trip on Wednesday, 3/25/09.  

3/23/09-3/30/09: C.C. was observed on Wednesday, 3/25/09, in a small cove out in the gulf at Crystal River.  He has remained in this area for the last week.  He is still by himself but the cove has lots of food and is a slow zone.  His belly looked a bit flat but he was moving around during the observation.

3/30/09-4/6/09:  C.C. moved out of the cove he has been staying in in the gulf on Saturday, 4/4/09, but had moved back in by 4/5/09.  As of Monday afternoon, 4/6/09, he is at the mouth of the cove, where other animals are often seen.

4/7/09-4/13/09:  On Wednesday, 4/8/09, C.C. was observed alone in a mangrove cove where there were sparse seagrasses. With the cool snap that came through the previous day most of the wild manatees had moved back into the warmer water in the headwaters of Crystal River, but C.C. had not responded. Because he had been staying in that particular cove for so long and had not been observed foraging or seeking fresh water, it was decided that he should be caught for a health assessment by a SeaWorld veterinarian. On Friday, 4/10/09, C.C. was captured and transported back to Crystal River from The Suncoast Keys. Once back at the dock, the decision was made to move C.C. back to SeaWorld for additional monitoring and recuperation.

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