CAPE CORAL, Fla. — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) released a manatee back into the wild on Thursday almost two years after it was found severely injured.
"So it's really just a highlight for us all," said Denise Boyd, an FWC assistant research scientist. "Successes like this are sometimes rare so it's a really good day for everybody."
WATCH: Biologists release manatee from Cape Coral's Horton Park:
Boyd said the manatee was severely underweight and lethargic when it was found in November 2023. An adult male manatee should weigh around 1,2000 pounds, Boyd said. The manatee weighed 540 pounds at the time.
A fishing hook was stuck in the animal's intestine, Boyd said.
Tedra Wiles said she discovered the manatee while paddle boarding on the Orange River. Wiles owns a kayak and paddle board tour business with her husband.
Wiles said she was scouting out Lee County's Manatee Park ahead of tourist season. That's when she noticed what looked like a garbage bag.
"When I saw people over there I figured at that point, it's probably a manatee," Wiles said.
Wiles said the manatee was stranded on a sand bar near the mangroves. One of the manatee's flippers was stuck under it's body, Wiles said, wrapped in fishing line.
That's when she called FWC. Wiles said she stayed with the animal until crews arrived. FWC rescued the animal and transported it to rehab teams with SeaWorld and Walt Disney, Boyd said.
FWC's marine mammal program covers ten Southwest Florida counties. The team responds to reports of dead and injured manatees.
Boyd said FWC responded to 144 manatee deaths in Southwest Florida this year. The team also conducted 24 manatee rescues. Southwest Florida averages about 180 manatee deaths and 33 rescues a year, Boyd said.
After almost two years of treatment and weight gain, the manatee was released on Thursday. Disney transported the manatee to Cape Coral's Horton Park. FWC staff and members of the rehab team lifted the manatee off a truck and put it in the water.
Wiles also attended the event. She said it was special to see things come full circle.
"To be out here and actually save a manatee, to know that it's more than just dollars going to research, but an actual hands-on, saving a manatee, from beginning to end was just amazing," Wiles said.
FWC encourages you to report any dead or injured manatees and dolphins. Boyd said you can call FWC at 888-404-3922.
