By Dan Klepal
Enquirer staff writer

Douglas the manatee was a rescued 50-pound calf that spent nearly his entire life at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. He was released in March at Biscayne Bay, near Miami. The Enquirer/GLENN HARTONG

For Douglas the manatee, life outside the glass is working out just fine.

After spending four years in a Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden aquarium, as part of the Manatee Springs exhibit with roommate Stoneman, Douglas was released in March into Biscayne Bay, near Miami.

Douglas had two tracking devices attached to his tail so biologists can track his movements to make sure he is adapting in the wild, and so they can capture him occasionally to check his weight and blood.

Monica Ross, a conservation biologist with the nonprofit Wildlife Trust, which runs the monitoring program in Florida, said Douglas seems to have learned all the basics in his five months of freedom, including:

• What to eat.

• Where to get fresh water.

• How to socialize with other manatees.

TIMELINE

• May 1995: Rescued as an orphaned 50-pound calf, several weeks old, off Key Largo, Fla. • April 1999: Arrives at the Cincinnati Zoo. He weighs about 800 pounds and is 8 feet long. • November 2003: Flown to the Miami Seaquarium, where he goes through a four-month program to teach him skills he'll need in the wild, such as adjusting to salt water and feeding on sea grass. • March 2004: Released in Biscayne Bay, Fla., weighing in at 921 pounds. • August 2004: Will be captured in about two weeks to have a checkup, before being set free again.

• How to avoid boats.

• Where to find warm water in the winter.

"Right now, he's adapting as expected," Ross said of Douglas. "He's doing what other manatees in the area do. He's near a freshwater hole and a really good resting area. He's out of weather and conditions, and close to three different sea grass beds. Other manatees are seen regularly around him."

Douglas hasn't moved far from where he was released on March 3. He spends most of his days in a secluded area off a Dade County park that was once home to one of Miami's original developers. The "boat basin" he stays in is an ideal location for manatees because it is closed to the public, has a fresh water source nearby and three sea grass beds in the area.

Douglas socializes with manatees during the day. He sometimes leads and sometimes follows other manatees to the grass beds in the evening. Manatees are often seen "mouthing" a nearby fresh water seep.

"Douglas has been observed over this location mouthing the (fresh water) and then falling asleep right over it," Ross said. "It is one of the cooler spots in the basin."

Only about 3,100 manatees survive in the United States, making them an endangered animal. Manatees share a common ancestor with the elephant, and are believed to have evolved from a wading, plant-eating animal. They can grow up to 13 feet long and weigh up to 3,000 pounds.

Manatees face many dangers in the wild, from collisions with boats to being entangled in fishing lines or crab traps. That's why it's important for the animals, which have long been in captivity, to socialize and learn from other manatees.

Douglas has befriended a manatee named Brooks, which was released about a year before him.

The Cincinnati Zoo is one of only three facilities outside of Florida that is licensed to keep, and rehabilitate, manatees.

The Cincinnati Zoo will get a new manatee named Rodeo in September, and will keep him for about a year while his injuries heal from an amputated flipper.

Winston Card, conservation program manager at the zoo, said it's important for the reintroduction program to be successful. Douglas was a rescued calf that spent nearly his entire life in captivity.

"There are so many animals coming in through rescues, and there is a limited amount of holding space for them," Card said.

That's why Rodeo is coming to Cincinnati. The animal survived its amputation and is healthy, but biologists want to make sure his wounds have healed and that there is no chance of infection before releasing him. But they don't want to take up space at SeaWorld Orlando with a relatively healthy animal.

So the Cincinnati Zoo will keep Rodeo for about a year before he is released into the wild.

Ross said her program is monitoring the movements of about 30 manatees that have been rehabilitated and released.

E-mail dklepal@enquirer.com