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Field Notes:
12/6/04:
Both Desoto and Salvador have been in and out of the TECO power plant over the past few days. Desoto circuits from Apollo Beach/Simmons Park area up to TECO and Salvador in the past few days has fallen back into his normal routine of traveling between TECO and Alafia River. Both animals have been observed feeding on a routine basis.
Yet another attempt to accomplish Salvador's six month health assessment was made on 12/2 but without success. Note if we had caught him it would have been a 9 1/2 month assessment. Of course the day before the capture date, Salvador made a major change in his routine and made his first trip into Tampa Bay's open water and across Hillsborough Bay to the shoreline around MacDill Airforce Base. Salvador was observed feeding and traveling along the 4-5ft contour line until the capture boat arrived. At that point, Salvador and his one wild manatee companion decided to begin to travel back across Hillsborough Bay towards TECO. After losing the sonic signal and barely getting VHF signs for a 1/2 hour, the capture attempt was called off. Salvador was later discovered in the Kitchen area north of TECO.
11/8/04:
Salvador has remained in the area south of Little Manatee River and during the past cold spell traveled north to TECO power plant and even further north to the mouth of Alafia River. Salvador continued his pattern of feeding over the grass flats south of Little Manatee River during the early morning hours and then traveling into a boat basin to rest during the afternoon. Salvador would then travel back out to the grass flats as night fall approached. He has continued to have LOTS of manatee companions over the month...one time he was with twelve animals, all resting in a quiet boat basin. It appeared from ARGOS locations and temperature sensors that on 11/5 Salvador was in TECO power plant. Sensors indicated he traveled in and out of the power plant for the next two days. On 11/7, his tag plotted out just south of the Alafia River mouth but he is a mover and was south of Apollo Beach today.
10/21/04:
We were not able to catch Salvador on 10/14 or on 10/19. He has been associating closely with wild manatees numbering up to sixteen at times.
Both days Salvador was located in a boat basin just north of Little Manatee River, Tampa Bay. There were six animals in the basin on the 14th and five the morning of the 19th (eventually twelve by the afternoon). We attempted to get Salvador to swim out of the boat slip areas and leave the other animals behind to follow a swimmer and he did a great job of following...so did other manatees in the area. The capture of Salvador was called off based on the number of animals that could have potentially been caught in the net.
The current goal is to wait a few weeks and see if Salvador changes his daily pattern. Currently, he begins to travel off the grass flats into the boat basin early in the morning and does not leave until late afternoon. Our hope is that he will change his routine to include some more time on the flats during the day.
9/16/04:
Salvador has utilized areas between the Alafia River and Apollo Beach over the past month.
Salvador has been observed with other animals on a routine bases just south of the mouth of the Alafia River. He has been observed feeding, socializing and cavorting with wild manatees. He also has not been approaching anchored or drifting boats as much as noted before during our observations. Salvador was observed traveling into a canal system just south of Apollo Beach on 9/9 with one other large animal. He was observed socializing and primarily following the other animal and eventually they both began to rest in the middle of the canal. Salvador was observed socializing and cavorting with several manatees in a cove just south of the TECO power plant on 9/13. He eventually moved off from the group and was observed feeding with one other manatee. We have been able to get a good look at his scars and they appear to be healing up nicely!
8/5/04:
Salvador's tag stopped transmitting this past weekend due to antenna damage. His tag was changed out from a GPS to PTT tag on Tuesday just south of the Alafia River mouth with the assistance of Kat Frisch (FWC). The tag exchange was accomplished with ease and it should be noted that Salvador is extremely social at this time to humans. I was able to determine during his rolling, chewing and manatee body slamming into me that he has a very round abdomen. Salvador has been spending most of his time just south of the Alafia River mouth. He has been observed feeding alone and with other manatees where there is an abundant amount of Ulva and sparse Halodule seagrass beds. Most of his manatee encounters have been with mother/calf pairs but more recently he has been either alone or with a few large animals. Salvador has also been documented working the shorelines along Bullfrog creek which is extremely shallow and tricky for us humans.
4/29/04:
Pictures from the health assessment
Before DeSoto's health assessment, it appeared he was still with the same animal that he had seen following around the Alafia River the day before. It was suspected the other animal might be Salvador because the animal was visiting several of the sites we had documented Salvador using during his first month after being released. Another indication it might be Salvador was that the animal Desoto was following was very light in color, which is what Salvador had looked like when last seen near the end of March.
Luck was on our side and when Desoto was being pulled up onto the boat, another animal was hauled up with him with the freeze brand "W 0". We had Salvador! With the crazy hunch from the day before, an extra belt, tether and tag was packed for the capture just in case.
Unfortunately Salvador had received fresh boat propeller scars on both sides of his body since his release. Sal was outfitted with a new red belt (green in length), tether and PTT tag. Morphometrics, blood and ultrasound readings were obtained but again no weight value to report. He lost 8 cm and 10 cm in girth at umbilicus and anus respectfully and only 1 cm at the peduncle girth. Back fat did decrease at all three measured locations especially at the peduncle (5mm). Fecal matter was runny - samples were obtained for analysis. Salvador had lost some weight but it was guessed not much since his belly was very round and you could still see signs of captive weight residing in the roles around his head and peduncle area. Dave Murphy gave him a "good" overall condition and a body score of 3. Blood values are pending at this time.
3/24/04:
We found Salvador's belt in the Alafia River Wednesday. It broke at the weak link of the belt and appeared to have gone through ample stress to break because the steel buckle was also bent. We looked around Salvador's major hang out spots but were unable to locate him. We will be informing local residences the need to relocate him and if they do see freeze brand "W 0" to please contact us immediately so we can attempt to rebelt him (if he will accommodate).
So if anyone hears of seeing a freeze branded manatee "W 0" or "W 8", please contact us immediate for that would be either New Bay "W 8" or Salvador "W 0".
Entanglements happen and luckily the equipment is designed to break so the animals do not get entrapped.
3/23/04:
Salvador's tag was recovered today 3/23 with multiple prop cuts along the side and top of his tag. His tag was found in a cove not far from his last location on 3/22 just west of the I-75 overpass in the Alafia River. The tether broke clean at the weaklink so Salvador should still have a functioning belt. We will be conducting a search for him tomorrow....may the tracking gods be with us.
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