Zeagle Systems of Zephyrhills, Florida was called upon recently by the Lowry Park Zoo of Tampa, Florida to lend their expertise in manufacturing buoyancy compensators to help in the recovery of an injured manatee. It was found after examination of the injured marine mammal that she was very pregnant as well as suffering from broken ribs and a ruptured lung. The lung rupture had trapped air in the right side of the chest cavity and was causing the animal to float on her side.

Attendants at the zoo felt it would be difficult, if not impossible for the recovering manatee, named Iona for the cove in which she was found, to complete the pregnancy and nurse the calf unless she could be righted. A visit with Dennis Bulin, owner of Zeagle Systems, brought them the answer they were looking for. Bulin proceeded to design and manufacture "the largest BC we ever built" for the injured Iona. He had to design it not only to fit the mammal, but also be capable of "trimming" the animal's attitude in the water. Four separate air bladders were constructed to accomplish this task. Bulin was also asked to consider Iona's anatomy with respect to calving and nursing.

Bulin and the officials at Lowry Park Zoo were pleased with the end product, considering it had to be made with estimated dimensions. Zeagle Systems donated the device to the zoo with Bulin stating, "considering the business we are in, how could we not offer to help preserve such an animal".

Manatees appear headed for extinction, as there are only about 2200 of them known to survive and this year has already been a record for their deaths in the wildmost a result of being accidentally run over by boats.