via the Miami Herald –

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/8379590.htm?1c

Be on the lookout for Buttons, a 755-pound juvenile male thought to be lurking in the waters of Biscayne Bay or the Florida Keys.

His distinguishing marks: the whitish letters “Y 2” branded on his back, between his flippers, and also behind his paddle. Authorities believe he may be headed for Key Largo, his last known address.

Buttons is not a suspected offender but a young manatee released into the wild early last month after 2 ½ years of “rehabilitation” at the Miami Seaquarium. He was the youngest manatee ever rescued, researchers say.

Now, they are worried about his whereabouts.

“We are trying to get the word out to the public, especially boaters, so that we can find him and make sure he’s doing OK,” said Maritza Arceo, a spokeswoman for the Seaquarium.

Researchers are concerned because four weeks after his release, Buttons has shed his tracking device. The radio tag and belt were discovered on March 27, lodged between two pilings under a dock at the Ocean Reef Club, they say.

“What we’re really looking for are the location, date and time of [future sightings] so we can re-tag him,” said Monica Ross, a biologist with the Wildlife Trust who is organizing a rescue party.

Anybody who spots Buttons should call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission dispatch at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922), she said.

Buttons was rescued by marine scientists on Sept. 3, 2001, after he had been injured by a boat propeller, leaving him scarred and wheezing from a damaged lung. He was less than a day old, researchers believe.

Between that time and his release on March 3, veterinarian Maya Menchaca and others at the Seaquarium nursed him back to health and accustomed him to a saltwater environment at a ”rehab pool” he shared with other manatees.

He will be due for his two-month checkup soon, during which time he would be removed from the water, weighed and submitted to a battery of tests to make sure he is adapting to the wild.

He is also scheduled for similar assessments after six months and one year, they say.

“What concerns me most is his migration,” Menchaca said.

“We’d really like to put the tag back on him to make sure he’s OK, to make sure he moves to areas where other manatees move to because there’s good sources of food and fresh water.”

Menchaca said she is optimistic Buttons is ready for the rigors of the wild because of his social nature and many months of preparation.

”We’ve prepared him the best we can,” Menchaca said.

The fact that he made it to Key Largo, his birthplace, is another encouraging sign, she said.

Researchers say manatees feed on sea grass and mangrove leaves found in shallow coastal waters.

They also drink fresh water, either from underground springs or inland from the drainage canals that crisscross the Miami area.