SeaWorld releases rescued pregnant manatee into Florida waters

This morning, on the first day of Manatee Awareness Month, a rescued and rehabilitated pregnant manatee was released into Florida waters.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Facebook page, the manatee was originally found underweight near Cape Cod, Massachusetts last month. The waters are too cold for manatees to usually be there, so the manatee was rescued and brought to Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut.

The underweight manatee was named Washburn and was moved via plane to SeaWorld Orlando on Oct. 18, according to SeaWorld Orlando’s blog. After returning to a healthy weight of 890 pounds, Washburn was released at River-Breeze Park in Oak Hill, Florida.

Washburn is the 21st manatee SeaWorld has rescued in 2016 and the 18th they have released back into the wild.

Washburn has not yet given birth.

Anyone who sees a wild manatee in need of help is encouraged to call the FWC Wildlife Alert Line at 1-888-404-3922.

This article appears in Oct 26 – Nov 1, 2016.