A manatee found with a fishing hook attached to her that left her with one usable fin has been released back into the wild after a nearly yearlong rehabilitation.
‘Allure’ the manatee, named after the fishing lure she was found with, was first spotted in February 2023 near Florida with the hook attached to her face and left flipper. A local wildlife organization had received reports of a small, thin manatee, swimming stagnantly in the water in Crystal River. Video showed the manatee attempting to free herself from the hook.
Since then, the manatee underwent rehabilitation in ZooTampa along with ‘Adobe,’ a rescued orphan manatee who was released into the wild with Allure on Jan. 11.
Video captured by the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge shows both animals being released into a warm natural spring in the U.S.’s only national wildlife refuge for manatees.
Despite not having any natural predators, all three species of manatees worldwide are considered vulnerable, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Loss of habitat and collisions with boats and ships are the two major threats to their existence. Pollution in shallow waters can also harm the animals also known as ‘sea cows’ since they only eat sea grass.
However, preservations efforts over the years have helped grow the manatee population; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported a significant jump from 1,267 manatees in Florida in 1991 to 6,300 today.
