About Bettysue

Gender: Female
Current Tag Id: 110745

Bettysue was rescued as an orphan calf in St. Pete, Pinellas County, Florida on November 5,2017. She was 118 centimeters long and weighed 66 pounds at the time of her rescue. Bettysue was transported to Sea World of Florida for care. She was released on February 3, 2021, at TECO in Hillsborough County. She was 247 centimeters long and weighed 820 pounds. She will be monitored by Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute.

  1. 02/24/2021 11:45 AM

    • Since relocation BettySue has stayed at TECO and kept to herself by the seawall. Today at TECO she was socializing within a large group of manatees and with the other tagged manatees in the canal today. The weekly alarm test went off at the power plant and all the manatees dispersed. BettySue made a long swim out to the discharges then immediately came back to the shallows where Opal was resting. She roused Opal and they both moved out to the discharges.

  2. 02/22/2021 11:30 AM

    • BettySue has stayed in TECO since her relocation. Today she was resting in the corner by the third discharge. Though there were many other manatees clustered nearer the platform, BettySue was by herself much further away. She then began moving along the seawall very slowly.

  3. 02/19/2021 09:45 AM

    • BettySue was resting in a residential canal off Tampa Bay where she has been located essentially since release. A capture team from FWC with help from ZooTampa successfully caught BettySue and transported to the Manatee Viewing Center. Her body condition was good, though she did lose some weight and had some small cold stress lesions on her face. She was released into TECO, it was not clear if there were any other animals in the canal due to extremely choppy water. She remained in the TECO canal overnight.

  4. 02/18/2021 02:30 PM

    • BettySue was resting in a residential canal off Tampa Bay where she has been located essentially since release. She was in shallow enough water to keep her tag above water. This allowed for a significant amount of fishing line to be removed from the tag. A great deal remained, entangled in lures, hooks, and the now skeleton of that poor fish. The line removal process disturbed her. She did not leave but instead paced in that location. Due to her behavior and with a cold front approaching an intervention was planned for the next day. The plan being to relocate her back to TECO to try again.

  5. 02/15/2021 07:15 AM

    • BettySue was pacing in a residential canal south of Apollo Beach. She has not left the canal for four days. A plan for intervention is being put into place.

  6. 02/12/2021 10:00 PM

    • BettySue was pacing in a cove near some residential canals in Apollo Beach. Her tag has a large amount of fishing line entangled on it. Attempts were made to remove it, but further attempts will need to be made.

  7. 02/10/2021 10:30 AM

    • BettySue was pacing in a cove near some residential canals in Apollo Beach. Her tag has a large amount of fishing line entangled on it. Attempts were made to remove it, but further attempts will need to be made.

  8. 02/08/2021 08:45 AM

    • BettySue was in a residential canal south of TECO where she has been for the last few days. She was moving down the canal in a circular pattern. She seemed to respond to the boat by shooting back to the enclosed end. She then started slowly moving back down the canal in circular patterns again. At times she would go deep. and mud boils would show her pacing pattern. She would come up with mud on her face also.

  9. 02/05/2021 11:30 AM

    • The night of her release BettySue left TECO and made her way south to E. G. Simmons Park. The next day she made her way back north stopping into some residential canals south of Apollo Beach. She remained in the canals and spent the day in one canal milling at the end of it. Her milling, though slow, had a repetitive pattern. She would move down the canal to a certain point then circle back. 

  10. 02/03/2021 01:00 PM

    • After her release, BettySue milled around the viewing platform before moving decidedly towards the throng of manatees between the 1st and second outflow. She seemed to making her way to where Belle was socializing with a group of manatees. BettySue abruptly reversed direction and moved into a different group.

       

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