You might call Epac’s journey epic.
Epac is the 820-pound, two-year-old manatee rescued from cold stress Jan. 11 in Cape Coral. Healthy again, he rehabilitated at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo; recovered briefly at the South Florida Museum in Bradenton; and, finally, returned to his natural habitat at the Manatee Viewing Center.Volunteers with the nonprofit Sea to Shore Alliance placed Epac in the clean, warm water of Big Bend Power Station’s discharge canal at the MVC on Jan. 23. Tagged with a radio transmitter, Epac is now free to mingle with other manatees while researchers track his progress. Soon, you too will be able to follow Epac at wildtracks.org by going to the Manatee Updates section and clicking on the link to Epac.
The young manatee’s name is derived from where he was found, Cape Coral. Pssst! Epac is capE spelled backward.
“Epac’s release is another great example of how the MVC works with partners in the community and fills a critical role by helping protect manatees and other native species that call this area home,” said Leslie Clymer, environmental technician at the Manatee Viewing Center. “The clean water discharge from Big Bend Power Station provides lifesaving warmth in winter for manatees like Epac.”
The effort to nurture Epac back to health and to his natural habitat was part of the Manatee Rehabilitation Project (MRP). Organizations that participate in the MRP include the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), one of Tampa Electric’s partners, along with the Florida Aquarium, in a new environmental technology park that broke ground south of the MVC on Jan. 10.
“Everybody puts in resources to make (the MRP) work – we’re just handling the field aspect,” said Monica Ross, a behavioral ecologist with the Sea to Shore Alliance. “Tampa Electric and the Manatee Viewing Center have helped us many times. It’s a great partnership.”
As Epac’s radio transmitter bobbed away across the water, a crowd of volunteers, visitors and MVC team members watched the manatee mingle with others like him.
“Looks like he’s sticking around,” said Scott Pasawicz, a volunteer animal handler with the South Florida Museum. “He’s happy. He’s already made friends.”
No Comments Found