The first manatee ever rescued in North Carolina was released back into the wild Thursday after spending a few weeks recovering at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida. The manatee had been found by biologists lethargic and malnourished in mid-November in a drainage canal, likely attracted by the ditch's warmish waters, off the Tar River near Greenville.

The Fish and Wildlife Service said this successful manatee rescue was the state’s first since they began keeping records in the 1970s. In 2021, officials said a manatee was foun

According to FWS, this rescue is the first time a manatee has been successfully rescued in North Carolina, since they began keeping records in the 1970s. In 2021, a manatee was found by a beachgoer in Kill Devil Hills; however, it died before being rescued. FWS says there have been successful manatee rescues as far north as Massachusetts.

Pamlico, a 9-foot female manatee, has been released back into the wild in Florida after being the first manatee ever successfully rescued in North Carolina.

FLORIDA, USA — A manatee that captured hearts after being rescued from a canal in Greenville last fall has returned to the wild. Nicknamed "Pamlico," the manatee was released Thursday at Tampa Electric’s Big Bend Power Station in Apollo Beach, Florida—a popular winter “warm-up” station for manatees.