PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — FPL’s Manatee Lagoon released a young manatee back into the wild Tuesday afternoon.
Last year, the juvenile manatee, named “Lemur,” was rescued for severe wounds on its back from a suspected boat strike.
For the last 12 months, Lemur has been in the Miami Seaquarium for rehabilitation and was recently deemed healthy enough to go back into the wild.
“This year has been a struggle for the manatees,” said Rachel Shanker, Manatee Lagoon and FWC Conservation Education Liaison. “They are not doing as well as they have in previous years, so it’s really important that we are able to rehabilitate those manatees that are rescued and get them released and back into the wild and back into their native habitat to make sure that the populations are as high as they can be.”
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and partners released Lemur in the manatee lagoon outflow area around 2 p.m.
The public is welcome to observe the manatees from the FPL Manatee Lagoon, located at 6000 N. Flager Drive in West Palm Beach.
Admission and parking are free.
For more information about Manatee Lagoon or to check out the live web camera, click here.
