March 20, 1997

After Sea World vacation, Bertram's all better

By DINAH VOYLES PULVER

ORANGE CITY - Bertram the manatee slid quietly into the St. Johns River on Wednesday morning after two months of recuperation at Sea World.

The 5-year-old, 750 pound manatee was picked up by Sea World's marine mammal rescue team in early January because Blue Spring State Park ranger Wayne Hartley noticed Bertram was acting sick.

Sea World veterinarians decided Bertram was constipated. "He had eaten a bunch of twigs and acorns and stuff," said Bob Bonde, a biologist with the federal Sirenia project.

Veterinarians treated the problem and then observed Bertram for a couple of months because they noticed he was listing to one side and they just wanted to make sure he was OK, Bonde said.

Then on Wednesday morning, Bertram was lifted into a marine mammal carrier, sort of a big, blue canvas sling and loaded into the back of a panel truck for a one-hour ride back to his Blue Spring home. More than a half-dozen member's of Sea World's marine mammal rescue team sat around him and kept him wet.

For the Sea World staff, letting Bertram go is like saying goodbye to an old friend. Bertram was raised at the park after he was rescued as a calf when he was about nine months old. He was released at Blue Spring in July 1995.

Manatee observers have been pleased with Bertram's progress in the wild, Bonde said. Even though the manatee was having stomach problems, he still had a nice layer of fat when he was rescued, Bonde said.

They don't know why Bertram ate so much junk off the bottom, but they don't believe it had anything to do with his being raised in captivity, Bonde said. It's a frequent problem with manatees, Bonde said. Sometimes they'll just eat stuff off the bottom near warm water when it's cold rather than swimming out in colder water to find other vegetation, he said. Normally manatees eat water grasses, hyacinths and other aquatic vegetation.

Bonde examined Bertram in the truck Wednesday, taking measurements of the manatee's length, girth and fat content.

Bonde estimated the blubber just under Bertram's skin was about one-half inch thick. "That's good," he said. The manatee is almost nine feet long and about six feet around.

Biologists hope to pick Bertram up sometime next year for a quick re-examination just to see how he's doing, Bonde said. "We'll look to see if he's had any weight loss and how his nutritional habits are," he said.

The conditions this week were near perfect for a release, Bonde said. The only thing that would have made it better would have been the presence of a few manatees to greet Bertram, he said.

After sliding out of his blue sling, Bertram lingered for a few moments in the shallow water. Then, he turned to swim out toward the river. He swam a couple of yards and then put his snout up above the surface as if to say goodbye. A small group of bystanders who watched the release let out a chorus of cheers.

"Go Bertram," one man yelled. Finally, his wide gray body slowly disappeared in the river's rippling waters.

"He won't go far," Bonde said. The last time Bertram was released he had a radio transmitter and biologists tracked his movements. He never left the St. Johns, Bonde said.

More than 2,000 of the endangered West Indian manatees live in the waters in and around Florida. The warm waters of the Blue Spring run become a winter home for manatees who live in the river.

Hartley counted a total of 94 different manatees in the run this winter. The one day-high count was 72. He identifies the manatees using photo records he makes each year. Among the manatees' identifying features are scars on their bodies made by brushes with boats.