Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership

Field Notes:

2/22/06: PGB has remained in the Salt Creek area but appears to have moved into the adjacent fork of the creek today. She has been observed alone with no other animals in the immediate area.

4/3/06: PGB has been moving in and out of the Myakka River into Big Slough canal system pretty routinely for the past few weeks. She has been observed bottom resting, traveling, socializing and feeding with other manatees. It has been nice to see her changed behavior ...once she FINALLY went under the Salt Creek/Tamiami overpass.

5/11/06: PGB's tag was heard in the Boca Grande area yesterday while Buddy was flying a survey. PGB's tag was then recovered in the mangroves. The eye bolt of the tag was bent and no tether was attached. It appears the tether released or broke at the snap shackle based on the force which bent the eyebolt. We will try and relocate PGB but it is going to be extremely difficult based on the options of which way she might have gone. Normally relocation of an animal is based on their past history of habitat use. PGB had used only Myakka River until four days before her tag stopped transmitting to Argos. She had moved down to Turtle Bay the week of 4/24/06 so we do not have any predictability to help drive the search.

7/6/06:

PGB was sighted in the area of Boca Grande towards the end of June. The sighting was reported to FWC SW biologist but the report was not relayed to them immediately from the citizen. The sighting had occurred almost a week before the report...ugh. But she is still around.

10/19/06:

PGB was sonic tracked and located on 9/11/06 in the area of Boca Grande. She had good body condition and was noted to have a healing scar. Unfortunately, we were not able to get her retagged. She was almost always moving and could not be approached without leaving the area. She does still have her tether attached to her belt. Remember her tag was hit by a boat which had even caused the eye bolt of the tag to become bent. A belted manatee was sighted in the Gasparilla marina on 10/9/06 and 10/10/06 which is just north of the Boca Grande area. There is a possibility this was PGB but we believe this sighting was of Xena. The good part is a belted manatee was sighted in the area both animals could easily use and the animal appeared to be acting normally.

10/24/06:

PGB was last seen in Boca Grande on 8/11/06 (made an error with last reporting date of 9/11/06). Today... she was caught by USGS while they were doing their captures off Whitewater Bay, Everglades. She still had her belt and tether and they replaced the equipment and put a new tag on her. No word yet on her overall condition.

11/11/06:

PGB traveled down to the Buttonwood Canal boat basin after her capture on 10/24/06 and remained there for several days. She has traveled back and forth between Coot Bay and the boat basin several times. PGB was observed feeding in Coot Bay on 11/06/06 with two other animals on a very windy day. The following day she moved into Whitewater Bay and then on 11/10/06 she moved back into Buttonwood Canal boat basin.

12/12/06:

I apologize for not getting this information out sooner. Here is what has been going on with PGB over the past month and it is in report form for FWC ’s rescue database.

PGB spent five days in Buttonwood Canal right after her recapture on 10/24/06 . She then proceeded to move back and forth between Coot Bay and Buttonwood Canal , spending approximately 2-3 days in each location. She was seen with other animals in Coot Bay feeding and socializing. From 11/16 to 11/21, PGB made quick moves south to Big Sable Creek and then turned north and traveled up to the mouth of the Broad River before returning to Buttonwood Canal . This was a rapid movement so we do not anticipate much time was focused on feeding during this trip.

PGB was located in Buttonwood Canal ’s boat basin on 11/21/06 and pretty much remained in the basin except for a quick travel halfway out of the canal then back to the basin on 11/28/06 . After seven days, we began to have concerns about this abnormal, stagnant behavior and spent two days observing her. E. Walker (WT) & J. Reid (USGS) got a good look at her from above water on 11/28/06 and they could not see any obvious trauma or cold stress signs (Whitewater Bay had dropped to 22; Buttonwood Canal 25). She was primarily resting during one day's three hour observation and resting and milling the next day's three hour observation.

PGB was still in Buttonwood Canal on 12/05/06 and had not left the basin at all over the past week. The only food source in the area was mangroves and park staff confirmed they had not seen her feed on anything in the past 14 days and primarily noted her in the same location for the past week. J. Reid confirmed no other food source was available in the immediate area and he also noted that some manatees will frequent this canal but as an aggregation site when it gets colder (and not for this long of duration).

PGB was observed by WT staff for four hours on 12/05/06 in Buttonwood Canal boat basin in 7ft of water. She appeared responsive and moved slightly when canoes got within four-ten feet of her. She also moved when a crocodile bumped her and her tag. During the first two hours of observation, she appeared to be resting from time to time for seven minute intervals. Resting was usually terminated when "stomach crunching" was observed. She would crunch, move slightly and then try to settle down again. No pattern in respiration could be determined...sometimes two breaths, four breaths or even eight breaths during ten minute windows. This is very unusual for field observations; we can usually determine a pattern in respiration rate. "Crunching" was observed four times, gas observed once and "chuffing" (forcefully blowing out nostrils) was observed twice. The other odd thing that was observed was that she appeared to have to swim to the surface (not just rise up for air) and then she appeared to sink fairly quickly after a respiration. These can be normal behaviors for manatees but they are not what we have normally seen with her. Water clarity only allowed viewing of her body when she was within three feet from the surface. She was not resting on the bottom or the top but appeared to be somewhere in the middle of the water column based on tag float level. She also was doing something I have never seen before (and probably cannot describe appropriately without further visual cues)...her tag would go up and down multiple times from minute to minute while she stayed in one location. This was observed on/off during the four hour observation. It was almost as if her back half was rising up or she was sinking and swimming up. With the depth, if she was reaching the bottom her tag should have been completely submerged but it did not stay under for more than 30 seconds at a time. Also to be noted, twenty manatee carcasses were verified along the northern portion of the Everglades during PGB’s stagnate state. Suspected cause for the deaths are red tide (brevetoxin detected in four carcasses, six pending results).

Dr. D. Murphy (attending Vet from Lowry Park Zoo) and N. Adimey (USFWS) were notified of the abnormal behaviors and concerns around 1600 on 12/05/06 and a request was made to conduct a health assessment ASAP. Dr. Murphy and M. Ross (WT) discussed PGB’s situation at 1530 on 12/6/06 and Dr. Murphy concurred it would be best to conduct a health assessment sooner than later. He also suggested that if she was not returned to captivity upon the health assessment, relocating her back to Warm Mineral Spring where she had a warmer wintering site, ample food and the ability for us to monitor her more closely would be advantageous based on our current behavior concerns. M.Ross notified N. Adimey of the request and all parties agreed this could be an option if deemed necessary.

C. Hudak FWC -SE field station was contacted and confirmed she could bring her boat and crew to Flamingo on 12/7/06 with a starting time of 1100 to capture PGB. M.Ross obtained a weighing arch (and accessories) from SeaWorld of Florida since the FWC -SE field station boat did not have the ability to weigh an animal. Dr. Murphy, FWC -SW field station, USGS and NPS were all notified that we would be catching PGB the following day to perform a health assessment and the potential she might be brought back into captivity or relocated to Warm Mineral Spring.

PGB was captured on the second attempt alone in Buttonwood Canal ’s boat basin on 12/7/06 . Blood, morphometrics, ultrasound, weight and fecal were obtained. Dr. Murphy gave PGB a body score of 3. She had lost 265lbs since her release on 2/15/06 but Dr. Murphy has expressed the release weight may be inaccurate. Her belly was flat but no folds were apparent. Fecal was greenish-black and mud-like with little fibrous material noted. Fecal sample was sent to C. Beck (USGS) for content analysis and another fecal sample will be submitted to FWC for red-tide analysis. Two scars were noted but undetermined if new series since 10/24/06 capture and approximately two inches of white was apparent around the dorsal outer portion of her tail (possible beginning signs of cold stress). Dr. Murphy reported on 12/11/06 that the blood work was “essentially normal for a wild Everglades female in winter; wbc is elevated somewhat and chemistries suggest mild winter stress but otherwise the values look very much like her body condition”.

Date Weight Straight Body Length

02/15/06 910 lbs 265 cm

10/24/06 na 272 cm

12/07/06 645 lbs 268 cm

Ultrasound readings showed slight decreases since capture on 10/24/06 . Umbilicus reading was within normal parameters but peduncle and anus readings were below normal. All girth measurements were extremely close to the readings obtained during her last health assessment but all values were below normal.

The decision was made on site to relocate PGB to Warm Mineral Spring instead of bringing her into captivity or putting her back into Buttonwood Canal . All USGS tracking gear was removed and WT gear was fitted. PGB was transported by Lowry Park Zoo in a van to Warm Mineral Spring and released in the dark at approximately 1900.

PGB was in a small basin just south of Warm Mineral Spring the morning after her re-release and was observed socializing with eight animals. She moved south into Big Slough Canal on 12/9/06 and has moved back and forth in this canal for the past four days.

12/17/06:

PGB finally is beginning to show signs of going out to feeding areas in the Myakka River. We have not observed her consuming any vegetation to date. Just a little nibbling on vegetation floating on the surface in Big Slough on 11/13/06, vegetation you would not normally see manatees feeding on.

2/25/07:

Moved from the Peace River area to Warm Mineral Spring when the cold hit during the first week of February. She has made minimal movement out of the spring since 2/10.

3/1/07:

PGB FINALLY moved out of Salt Creek today 3/1/07 after spending 21 days up near Warm Mineral Spring. She was observed feeding today with another manatee. We are going to still attempt to get an underwater view of her belly this week since her above water body condition indicated some recent weight loss.

3/22/07:

PGB was tracked up Salt Creek in one of the basins just south of Warm Mineral Spring. She appeared to be with two other animals but shortly after the capture crew arrived she traveled up to the release site near Warm Mineral Spring. Her respiration rate was noted later to be high with 2-3 breaths ever minute during a thirty minute observation period. A net was deployed across the creek down from her location to catch her when she decided to travel out. WT staff eventually entered the water near PGB which encourage her to travel down the creek.

PGB was captured on the first attempt on 3/22/07 . She was placed into the stretcher in the water and walked down the creek with minimal resistant to a spot where she could be lifted out onto the bank. Blood, morphometrics and ultrasound were obtained on site. Weight was obtained later at the facility. Dr. Murphy gave PGB a body score of 2+. Her belly was very loose and fecal was greenish-black and mud-like with little fibrous material noted. One new superficial scar was noted since her last capture. It was a thin line running ¾ of her length along her right side. Dr. Murphy noted her respiration rate was one breath every minute and an audible “gurgle” could be detected. Her heart rate of 80 was noted to be elevated.

Date Weight Straight Body Length

02/15/06 910 lbs 265 cm

10/24/06 na 272 cm

12/07/06 645 lbs 268 cm

03/22/76 565 lbs 252 cm ?

Ultrasound readings showed a decrease in backfat at the umbilicus. No measurements could be obtained for the anus and peduncle locations because the machine did not pick up any density interface changes. All girth measurements were extremely close to the readings obtained during her last health assessment but all values were below normal.

The decision was made on site by Dr. Murphy to return PGB to captivity for care based on her current respiratory condition and borderline behavior and body condition. PGB was transported in FWC transport truck to LPZ for future care.

A big thanks to FWC , LPZ and WT for all your efforts regarding the welfare of PGB!!!

5/07/07 Report from Lowry Park Zoo:

On 4/5/07 , Dave Murphy reported PGB to be doing well after a couple of days of settling back in. The breathing noise was not obvious after transport. The blood work suggested she was nutritionally stressed and probably some low grade chronic infection (antigenic stimulation). She has completed a course of antibiotics and needs to be de-wormed; otherwise she is eating and acting well.

6/14/07:

On May 29, PGB was re-released at the North Port Coast Guard Flotilla station 92 boat ramp at 1100am. She was fitted with a belt, tag and tether. All morphometrics, blood, and ultrasound were obtained by Lowry Park Zoo prior to release.

PGB milled for some time around the boat launch area. Later in the day she was observed milling in the Big Slough heading to the main part of the Myakka River .

Within 24 hours of her release, PGB went to Warm Mineral Springs. Later that day she returned to the river. She seemed to have her bearings.

As of June 5, PGB's tag was recovered in a canal under a boathouse in Boca Grande. No visible signs of damage on the tag. Immediately began sonic tracking for her w/ a couple of hours in the Boca area. Wednesday, June 6, Elizabeth Walker focused on the hot spots in the Boca area and the canal system. Thursday she expanded the area to the grass flats, Gasparilla Marina, southern Lemon Bay , Devilfish Key and the ICW area. On Friday, Elizabeth sonic tracked in Turtle Bay and the west wall (where Clearwater was conveniently located). No luck with finding PGB. Buddy flew on Saturday, June 9, in an attempt to locate her. A phone message came in on June 10 from a Boca resident that they saw a belted animal, mostly likely PGB because the resident reported the animal looked small, which doesn’t sound like either Marco or Whittaker.

9/18/07:

6/12/07 – 9/17/07

On 7/10/07 PGB was reported by a citizen in the Boca Grande area.

We also received two confirmed transmissions of her belt sonic from one of our listening sonic buoys in Boca Grande on 9/12/07 but, due to other committed tracking issues (specifically with Una, we were not able to respond.

3/28/08:

We caught a tagged animal for a final health assessment that we believed had been Whitaker. But when we read her PIT tag numbers, it became apparent we did not have Whitaker. PIT ID’s matched PGB….yeah PGB. If you recall, we have not seen PGB since she lost her tag on 06/06/07 but we have been able to pick up her belt frequency from our sonic buoy off Boca Grande from time to time. Intriguing minds I am sure are asking “how did we mistake PGB for Whitaker?” Well, here is how it went. As you will recall, a belted animal was retagged on 01/08/08 in Warm Mineral Spring. No freezebrands could be identified and the new scar patterns on the animal did not match any of our belted animals (but then again, they were new scars). The belt was red and had exposed webbing of approximately three inches on the right and unfortunately the sonic was not working. The only animal in our records with a belt visible description as described was Whitaker. PGB’s belt description was red but the amount of exposed webbing and side placement was unknown due to the lack of recording of this info upon release. Plus, PGB’s belt had been working so we just assumed a no working belt must be Whitaker…our mistake. So that is how the mistake happened. Great news that we have second year information on PGB but that unfortunately means we have no idea where or how Whitaker is doing. Now, on with the normal final health assessment info…

PGB was found bottom resting with three animals in the canal by Mystic and PanAmerican Street in the Big Slough off the Myakka River . She got out of the first net by going under the lead lines while the net was being pulled in. Another animal was captured, scanned for PIT tags and immediately released. After some effort, PGB was separated from another animal and was captured during the second net set. PIT tag numbers identified the animal as PGB and the crowd went wild.

Blood, morphometrics, ultrasound and weight were obtained. Dr. David Murphy of Lowry Park Zoo gave PGB an overall condition of good, with a body score of 3. She had lost only 25 lbs since her release on 5/29/07 . Her belly was round but no fecal was observed. She did have a new scar pattern on her back that appeared to be healing normally. Freezebrands between the shoulder blades were extremely hard to identify dry or wet and the brands above the peduncle area were gray and visible when wet at close range. An audible “gurgle” was heard on several occasions when PGB took breaths soon after her capture but appeared to subside as she began to relax and rest during the assessment. Blood values are pending.

Date Weight Straight Body Length

02/15/06 910 lbs 265 cm

10/24/06 na 272 cm

12/07/06 645 lbs 268 cm

03/22/07 565 lbs 252 cm ?

05/29/07 780 lbs 271 cm

03/27/08 755 lbs 277 cm

Ultrasound readings showed an increase in back fat since her release on 05/29/07 with readings extremely near to wild ranges. Girth measurements showed a slight decrease in the umbilicus and anus areas and all measurements were below wild ranges.

Girth measurements were as follows:

Date Peduncle Anus Umbilicus

02/15/06 120 148 217

10/24/06 98 125 179

12/07/06 97 122 174

03/22/07 90 121 168

05/29/07 103 131 190

03/27/08 103 127 183

All tracking equipment was removed and PGB was released back into the Big Slough and considered a success within the program. We wish PGB good fortunes for the future without the tracking jewelry. Thank you to SWF and LPZ for all your efforts during this capture. (pictures provided below).