Pilgrim Settling In South Florida Waters Again
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A manatee found injured in 2012 and received help at the Miami Seaquarium was released back into the wild Thursday.
Manatee Pilgrim was satellite tagged and will be monitored by Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership biologists.
Pilgrim was rescued in the Florida Keys in November of 2012.
At the time, he was extremely buoyant and doctors learned he had a pneumothorax condition known as a "folded" lung.
When rescued, Pilgrim weighed just 200 pounds, but after more than a year of care, he now weighs more than 640 pounds.
Read more about Pilgrim's rescue.
He will be released in his native waters off of Key Largo where he was found sometime this week.
The public can track Pilgrim by clicking here.
If a manatee is observed in distress or a dead manatee is sighted, contact the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC.