Missing: 875-Pound Manatee With 1 Flipper

Wildlife officials are asking folks who frequent the waters around Pine Island to be on the lookout for Burnie, a one-flippered manatee who hasn’t been seen since the end of May.

It seems the 8-foot-long, 875-pound critter lost her tracking tag or it broke. Now the Sea to Shore Alliance is trying to find Burnie to remedy that situation. Burnie may or may not be wearing the tracking belt, tether and tag, officials say. It’s also possible just the belt remains.

Residents who do spot the one-flippered manatee are asked to avoid touching her though. A call to wildlife officials will suffice.

“It is very important that citizens not touch the manatee or its tag,” a media release from Sea to Shore stated. “The tag is harmless to the animal and removing it can actually comprise the animal’s wellbeing.”

The gear Burnie was wearing for tracking costs an estimated $5,000.

Burnie was found by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in December 2013. Her left flipper was entangled in a crab trap, which ultimately forced veterinarians to amputate. At the time of her rescue, she was 6 feet long and weighed 245 pounds.

Burnie spent about a year at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo undergoing treatment before she was released into the Orange River in January, along with two other rehabilitated manatees. Her release made headlines and created a splash at Lowry Park Zoo where officials announced the good news about Burnie, Venice and Ace on their Facebook page. At the time of her release, Burnie was 8 feet long and weighed 875 pounds.

Manatees are tagged by researchers and scientists in Florida “to monitor their health and better understand their behavior and travel patterns, usually as part of the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP),” the media release said.

The tracking device includes a belt, tether and radio-transmitter tag. The belt goes around the manatee’s “peduncle,” which is the narrow area above the tail. It’s designed, wildlife officials say, to fall off over time.

Burnie isn’t the only manatee to have gone missing as of late. Back in May, FWC posted a request for folks to keep an eye out for “Stokes.” That critter also lost his tag and tether and was believed to be swimming near the Ortega River with just a belt on.

Anyone who spots Burnie or any other manatee that appears distressed or injured is asked to call FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 1-888-404-3922. Residents may also call *FWC from their cellular phones or #FWC.

To find out more about the Sea to Shore Alliance, visit the nonprofit organization’s website.

Photo 1 of Burnie courtesy of the Sea to Shore Alliance. Photo 2 courtesy of Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo.