Abstract
The Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) is considered a semi-social animal. Some studies have speculated social relationships may facilitate survival, particularly in captive manatees undergoing rehabilitation. Manatees in captivity are often housed together and have demonstrated complex social interactions. However, telemetry tracking of simultaneously released manatees has revealed that associations established in captivity are rarely maintained. In manatee pairs who have remained associated following release, researchers have shown concern that these bonds may prevent them from fully integrating back into their natural environment. Understanding the relationships of captive manatees and how that may affect the rehabilitation process and eventual release of manatees is vital to conservation efforts cf this threatened species. This case study examined 14 groups of manatees that were simultaneously released and their success after one year. Telemetry data and field notes were used to obtain separation dates of each pair. Additional data on sex, duration of rehabilitation, rescue reason, housing type, and release outcome was obtained from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute (CMARI) database and rescue facilities of each manatee. Manatees born under human care, mother/calf pairs, and individuals below 160 or above 270 cm long at time of rescue were excluded from the dataset. The purpose of this study was to investigate if social bonds between pairs maintained upon release could have a positive or negative affect on their transition back into their natural environment. Manatees released in groups had an overall success rate of 89%, which is higher than the success rate of all wild born manatees (72%). Given the small sample size, confounding variables, and the differences in size classes included in the two samples, the extent of impact of releasing manatees in pairs on the success rate of individual manatees is unclear. Social bonds established in captivity do not appear to have a negative effect on a manatee's ability to acclimate in the wild and are not maintained in most cases. Individuals that stayed together for longer periods following release were likely due to temperament. This supports previous evidence that manatee associations are temporary and fluid.