Manatee Occurrence in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, West of Florida

Reports of West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus) in the US Gulf of Mexico west of Florida have increased during the last decade. We reviewed all available manatee sighting, capture, and carcass records (n = 377) from Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas since the early 1900s; only 40 of these were previously published. Manatees were reported most often in estuarine habitats, usually either near a freshwater source or natural or industrial warm-water springs/runoffs during winter months. The recent increase in manatee records may be due to a combination of increased public awareness and dispersal of manatees, most likely seasonal migrants from Florida. We caution that the presence of artificial warm-water sources outside of the manatee’s traditional range may attract an increasing number of manatees and could increase the incidence of cold-related mortality in this region

Manatee rescue, rehabilitation, and release efforts as a tool for species conservation

In this chapter we outline the basic components of manatee rehabilitation programs and detail those existing in North, Central, and South America

A Descriptive Study of the Percussive Behavior of Orcas, Orcinus orca, in Johnstone Strait, British Colombia

Orcas, Orcinus orca, also known as killer whales, are a species that have been the subject of long-term research. The aim of this study was to quantify percussive behaviors of a population of orcas, identify which individuals in a pod were displaying such behaviors, determine the context in which these behaviors occurred, and offer suggestions to the purpose, if any, that percussive activity may serve in this community. The study was conducted in Johnstone Strait, British Columbia, Canada during the summer months of 1992-1993. Observations were made during daylight hours. Whales were encountered either opportunistically, or by reports from other whale-watchers and researchers. A total of 542 hours of observational data were collected from 86 individual whales. Behavioral categories were defined as feeding, socializing, traveling, and resting. The most often observed percussive behaviors were tailslaps; they were therefore analyzed in the greatest detail. The number of tail slaps produced during feeding, socializing, aggregation, directional changes, and in the presence of boats were statistically compared. It has been suggested that calves and juveniles engage in percussive activity as a form of play during socializing, and that percussive behavior may aid in building physical strength and motor training. Adolescents and adults may engage in percussive actions to convey information about a direction change to other animals, strengthen social ties, express sociosexual behavior, and assist in social development, all of which could establish and strengthen social skills and social bonds among other individuals in the community. Other hypotheses for percussive behavior in this community include: forms of aggression; a type of warning signal; incidental occurrences due to elevated activity levels; a form of greeting among individuals; an expression of courtship behavior; a way to establish or re-establish dominant-subordinate relationships; an aid in the capture of prey during feeding; and a type of energy release either before or after resting behavior. It appears that each age class may have its own agenda for displaying percussive activity, depending on the context in which it was performed. The reason why each individual engages in percussive actions may be multifaceted for various situations, and each reason may not be bound to a particular context. The high level of occurrence of percussive behaviors implies that they are relevant to the daily activities of the northern resident community of orcas that inhabit the region of Johnstone Strait, British Columbia, Canada

New York medical malpractice.

The New York medical malpractice treatise provides practitioners with a comprehensive explanation of the ins and outs of New York medical malpractice, making this complex area of law understandable to litigators. This treatise explains New York medical malpractice from both a procedural and substantive law aspect, distilling the experience of a seasoned litigator to demystify the medical malpractice litigation process. This book offers authoritative guidance for the New York medical malpractice litigator to master the complexities of the New York medical malpractice system, court rules, statutes, and case law that govern this important evolving area of law

Meeting the Manatee Challenge: The Feasibility of Using Crittercam on Wild Manatees

The West Indian manatee, Trichechus manatus, is currently listed as an endangered species throughout its range. Threats to the subspecies in Florida include watercraft collisions, the potential loss of warm water refuges, exposure to harmful algal blooms, entanglement in fishery gear, habitat degradation, freshwater diversions and withdrawals, and the crushing or isolation caused by water control structures. A study was initiated in 2001 to investigate several of these threats and develop methods to aid in endangered species recovery needs by exploring the feasibility of using Crittercam, an animal-borne imaging and data-collection device, on Florida manatees. While the actual Crittercam technology was appropriate for the goals of this study, the unique morphology of the species and its variable habitat made finding a method of attachment extremely challenging. An appropriate and reliable method of attachment to the manatee is necessary for the successful application of animal-borne imaging data collection. Methods previously used successfully on other species were explored, including various combinations of suction cups and adhesives, a nylon harness and a peduncle belt with a trailing tether. Over a span of several years, captive trials and field testing determined that the peduncle belt with connecting tether was the most appropriate method of attachment. Several iterations of this design were made in order to provide the necessary functionality for ensuring productive research with the Crittercam on wild manatees.</jats:p

Twenty-Six Years Of Post-Release Monitoring Of Florida Manatees (Trichechus Manatus Latirostris): Evaluation Of A Cooperative Rehabilitation Program

The rescue, rehabilitation, and release of Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) into the wild has occurred since 1974; however, a comprehensive evaluation of the outcomes of the releases has never been conducted. Herein, we examined data for 136 Florida manatees that were rehabilitated and released with telemetry tags between 1988 and 2013 to determine release outcome of each individual as either success (acclimation) or failure after at least 1 y. Ten predictor variables were statistically evaluated for potential relationships to release outcome. To assess the contribution of each predictor variable to release outcome, each variable was tested for significance in univariate analyses. Manatees born in captivity experienced poor success after release (14%), whereas the overall success of wild-born individuals was higher (72%). When compared with other variables in our dataset, number of days in captivity was the strongest predictor for determining success. Manatees rescued as calves and held in captivity for more than 5 y had a high likelihood of failure, while subadults and adults had a high likelihood of success, regardless of the amount of time spent in captivity. Ensuring the success of individual manatees after release is critical for evaluating the contribution of the manatee rehabilitation program to the growth of the wild population