SeaWorld Releases Newborn Manatee and Mother Back to the Wild

Images courtesy of SeaWorld's Inside Conservation Blog

On July 18th, SeaWorld Orlando ushered a new manatee calf into the world, born from an injured mother recently rescued.   Thankfully both mother and baby proved healthy and strong, and last Thursday were released back into their natural habitat.  Manatees are especially endangered in the wild and special care is taken to release all rescues as soon as they are healthy enough to survive and thrive.

Unfortunately, this means that we won't be seeing this calf in SeaWorld's manatee tank.  The mother has been tagged and microchipped, however, so that SeaWorld can track her progress back home in the coastal Florida waters.  Pictures and video of the release operation can be viewed below.