When I asked one Docent what they carried in their pockets – they answered with: lint, band aid, tissue, a safety pin & a tissue.
Although some zoos do not allow Docents to carry any thing other than their zoo owned “biofacts” many Docents have their own collection of “show & tell” items. I have found that it is advantageous to be able to show them something to get them to talk with you & thereby give them Education.
Of the 27 years that I have been a Docent at the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium, I have attended approximately 18 AZAD Conferences. At an AZAD Conference many years ago – I listened to Jeanne Collier from the Los Angeles Zoo. She suggested that we carry small items to entice people to speak or listen to us. I do not pretend to measure up to Jeanne Collier but I have tried to listen to some of her ideas.
A Stuffed Manatee – so I can show how Stubby has lost part of her tail from a boating accident.
A Small Plastic Turtle – so I can show how Buddy, our Hawk’s Billed Turtle, has somehow lost parts of his flippers.
A Sting Ray Tooth – to show how their teeth stack in there like a brick wall to crush clam shells.
A Plastic Sting Ray – to show where the stinger is.
Chocolate Kiss – in the time it takes to be eaten, another football sized section of the rainforest has been destroyed.
Small Glasses – Nictitating membrane for eye protection from sand, etc (as in birds & repiles).
Kangaroo Embryo – Size of a Kangaroo when it crawls to the pocket OR Lima Bean. OR – size of your own thumb nail.
Hershey’s Kiss – in the time it takes to be eaten, another football sized section of the rainforest has been destroyed.
Cownosed Sting Ray Tooth – Along with a diagram to show how teeth crush shells.
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium currently has three Manatees: Hurricane (1320 lbs.), Dundee (1345 lbs.), and Gene (1835 lbs.). We have had others. Comet was released back to the wild on February 12, 2000. Brooks and Trident were released on February 5, 2002.
My “Love Affair” with Brooks really started after the release of Comet. I was fortunate enough to get a special Behind the Scenes Tour of the Sea World Manatee facility in Orlando and was introduced to Brooks when he was quite young. Brooks then became one of the Manatees that came to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium to make room for more rehabilitating manatees in the Florida Rescue facilities. Brooks came to Sea World in Florida in 1999 after he was rescued as an orphan at Port Canaveral. He was hand reared at Sea World.
Trident also came to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium to gain weight and prepare him for his release to the wild. Trident was a small, sub-adult male found by himself in Vero Beach during the winter of 2000. When he was first found he appeared lifeless. Trident is always easy to identify by the shape of his tail. His name comes from his trident shaped fluke or tail that was damaged by the severe cold stress.
Both Brooks and Trident spent the better part of a year in Columbus before they were taken back to Florida. They were released into an East Coast Study Group ­ Brooks is the first and was freeze branded with an “E 1.” Since Trident was so easy to identify, he was not freeze branded. Both animals (along with Myriah from Disney’s Living Seas) were released back to the wild on February 5, 2002 at the Cutler Ridge Power Plant ­ just South of Miami, Florida, in Biscayne Bay.
Since I had been lucky enough to attend the Release of Comet at Blue Springs State Park in 2000, I really wanted to attend this release also. I kept asking when and where? No one could tell me definitely when and where the release sight would be. I called a representative from the U.S. Fish & Game who informed me that since the release was to be at a Power Plant ­ it was unlikely that I could be there. After she called the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, she called and asked me if anyone would be attending with me?
3 Manatees were released today. One from Disney’s Living Seas (Myriah) and 2 from Sea World by way of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (Brooks and Trident.) Myriah was in a LARGE crate in a Budget Rental Truck. Brooks and Trident were in slings in the back of the Sea World Animal Rescue Track. They had a large crane to lift the animals from the trucks to the top of the boat ramp.
The leader of the Living Seas Group took over and had Myriah brought out of the Budget Rental Truck. At the top of the ramp, the Florida Fish & Wildlife people attached a yellow transmitter to the skinny part near her tail. The crate went into the water but Myriah was in no hurry to go swimming. They had to encourage her to go swimming. Then it was Sea World’s turn to get Brooks and Trident into the water.
The crane brought the sling over to the top of the ramp. Brooks got a green transmitter and Trident got a red transmitter. Debbie Schoenauer, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Manatee Keeper, helped the Sea World people carry Brooks and Trident into the water.
Brooks swam free at 8:32 AM on February 5, 2002. Trident swam free at 8:46 AM on the same day.
“track” or keep an eye on newly released Manatees.
Somehow I was placed on the Consortium’s list to get daily information on the whereabouts of the Manatees. Each day I had a huge “download” on the computer with detailed maps of where all of the Manatees were. There were groups of Manatees in the Tampa Bay area, the East Coast Group near Miami, and a group in Charlotte Harbor, Florida. Each day I also received a database giving me the latitude, longitude, water temperature, and other data.
Brooks went over 12 miles up the Snapper Creek Canals and ended up in the canals where not much food was available. Brooks lost his transmitter once but both were located and they were re-united. It was finally decided on March 21, 2002 that Brooks would be re-captured and relocated back where he started ­ near the Biscayne Bay. Brooks began to wander but the GPS always kept an eye on him. On May 13, 2002 a recapture team was sent out to re-evaluate Brooks’ condition. His weight had dropped to 655 pounds (from 805 pounds at his release date of February 5, 2002) and he showed other signs of dehydration. Brooks was removed from Deering Bay and transported back to Sea World in Orlando, Florida.
Trident seemed to stay in the general area of his release ­ going up the Black River. Because of his tail configuration, not having a full paddle to hold the transmitter, Trident lost his transmitter on April 26, 2002. So far, he has not been re-located to attach it again. When he is spotted again, a new transmitter will be attached so that Trident can be tracked again.
Comet is not being “tracked” but has returned to the Blue Springs State Park this past winter. Comet seems to have totally adjusted to “living” in the wilds of Florida.
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium still has 3 Manatees in their Manatee Exhibit ­ Hurricane, Dundee, and Gene. We still fondly think of the ones that we have released ­ Comet, Brooks, & Trident. Brooks remains at Sea World in Orlando, Florida, but Comet and Trident are once again swimming Free.
do not have a description that easily creates a “Charisma Issue” ­ in fact, they may remind us of what we don’t want to be! They are fat ­ weighing from 2000 to 3000 pounds. They have wrinkled gray skin, which is 2 to 3 inches thick. They have tiny, squinty eyes, which close like the iris of a camera. They have pinhole ears, which cannot spatially relate to where noise is coming from. Their tail can propel them up to 20 mph. They use their pectoral flippers for guidance.
Manatees’ main threat for survival is Man. Manatees suffer from blunt trauma (being struck by boats), propeller cuts, and being caught in locks or in fishing lines. With their 3-foot long lungs extending close to the surface of their backs, the boat damage can be critical. Manatees suffer from Cold Stress ­ much like frostbite in humans.
In June of 1999 the Columbus Zoo decided to increase its role in conservation by building an exhibit for Manatees. The total cost of this facility was in the range of $ 10,000,000. The facility is a 23,000 square foot building with 250,000 gallons of brackish (a mix of fresh and salt) water ­ 190,000 in the main tank and 60,000 in the “Behind the Scenes” tank. A retractable roof was also included so that in warm weather the manatees could enjoy the sun’s rays.
On June 6, 1999 our four male manatees arrived at the Columbus Zoo from different facilities in Florida. Hurricane currently weighs 1670 pounds, is approximately 18 years old, and is 11 feet 1 ½ inches in length. Gene, who is the largest, currently weighs 1830 pounds, is 24 years old, and is 11 feet 5 inches in length. Gene is easily identified because of the white marks on his back ­ from propeller blades. Dundee ­ the skinny one (if you could EVER call any Manatee skinny) weighs 1185 pounds, is 15 years old and has become 10 feet 6 ¼ inches in length. Although Dundee is the son of Gene, they do not seem to have a father/son bond. And then the childish, small one called Comet. Comet was easily identified because he was the smallest, youngest, and usually kept to himself. He could usually be seen doing barrel rolls through the exhibit. They would play together and sleep together at the bottom of the tank. They would also come to the top for air ­ almost in unison.
Comet was only 2 ½ years old and weighed approximately 700 pounds when he came to the Columbus Zoo. He was orphaned from his mother ­ Mercury–near Jacksonville, Florida at the age of one. Mercury had been hit by a boat and died 5 months later. Comet was cared for at Sea World in Orlando until he came to the Columbus Zoo. After Comet was at the Columbus Zoo for about 8 months, the US Fish and Wildlife Recovery and Rehabilitation Program felt that it was time to allow Comet to return to the Wild.
Fresh water plants were shipped in to the Columbus Zoo for the last month prior to Comet’s release to get him accustomed to the wild vegetation. On February 12, 2000 ­ Comet ­ after gaining 250 pounds mainly on romaine lettuce — was flown back to Orlando to the Sea World holding facility.
On February 16, 2000 ­ Comet was taken to Blue Spring State Park, which is about 30 miles northeast of Orlando. Comet was measured and given a freeze brand of “74” so that he could be identified at a later date.
He was fitted with a special belt that fit around the narrow part of his paddle. Attached to the belt was a lanyard with a buoy and a transmitter. The lanyard was designed to break free in the event it became entangled. The Sirenia Project, a biological research branch of the US Geographical Survey, was to conduct the monitoring of Comet.
The date of February 16, 2000 was chosen for Comet’s release because manatees huddle in Blue Spring State Park where the water stays a constant 75°. The Florida waters get too cold in the winter for manatees so they seek out the warmth of the spring waters. By releasing Comet here, the Sirenia Project, Sea World, and the Columbus Zoo hoped that Comet would learn to return to this place each winter. The date was also chosen because it was hoped that Comet might pair up with another Manatee who would show him the rules in the Wild. Sometimes there are as many as 100 manatees warming themselves in Blue Spring State Park. Rangers go out in a canoe each morning to attempt to identify the manatees and determine which manatees have arrived.
Comet arrived at Blue Spring State Park in a Sea World Animal Rescue Unit truck ­ resting on foam padding. He had been transported in a sling or stretcher. He was measured, checked, and tested for body fat. It was strange seeing him lie on the ground and realize that he would soon be swimming “free.” Comet arrived at the Columbus weighing approximately 715 pounds and was now being carried to the water weighing approximately 925 pounds.
As the time drew near for Comet to travel down to the water’s edge, they asked for another lifter. I quickly threw my camera to my husband and volunteered to help. Approximately 10 of us carried Comet down to the water’s edge. With five people on each side of the huge sling, my main concern was ­ “Don’t get your feet tangled up and fall!” I thought I had the easy end of Comet. I had his tail! I didn’t have to carry the heavy “head.” It was only later that I wondered what would have happened if he had decided to wag his tail!
It was with mixed emotions that we set Comet free — elation that Comet was back in the wild, sadness that we had to say “Goodbye” to him. Comet swam to freedom trailing his satellite transmitter behind him. Initially he swam up the “run” at Blue Spring State Park. He was tracked through Lake Monroe and was seen with other manatees. Finally it was determined that he lost his transmitter. They found him, gave him a physical, and re-attached his transmitter. Again he lost his transmitter, but this time Comet could not be found. For months, it was feared that Comet was “lost”!
In December 2000, a manatee arrived at Blue Spring State Park that Ranger Wayne Hartley ­ a true expert on Manatee identification ­ could not identify. Ranger Hartley assigned him the number “U19″(Unidentified # 19). The area where his freeze brand was located was covered with algae and Comet couldn’t be identified.
Finally on January 25, 2001, the Sirenia Project in cooperation with the Columbus Zoo confirmed that “U19” was indeed Comet! Comet will be looked for each year at Blue Spring State Park but he won’t be tracked by satellite. Comet’s Trail continues. He continues to Roam Free.
Columbus Zoo now has been sent two new, young manatees from Florida ­ Brooks is 1 ½ to 2 years and Trident is 2 to 2 ½ years old. For now, they are keeping Hurricane, Gene, and Dundee company in the large tank at the Columbus Zoo. Maybe ­ some day — Brooks and Trident will follow Comet’s Trail.
Manatees ­ An Educator’s Guide ­ from Save the Manatee Club, Judith Delaney, Wendy Hale, & Renee Stone, ­ Revised by Nancy Sadusky & Patti Thompson, 1996.
Manatee Lecture, Harbor Springs Oceanographic Institute, Dr. Gregory Bossart, Veterinarian, Seaquarium, February 7, 2001.