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.

The manatee successfully rescued from a Tar River canal in Greenville, Pitt County, last fall is free again. The 9-foot female manatee nicknamed Pamlico was released earlier this week in Florida after being medically cleared for release by SeaWorld Orlando and U.

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.

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 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission said Pamlico, a manatee rescued from a Tar River canal in November, has been released.

The friendly giant was the first successful rescue from North Carolina and was rehabilitated by SeaWorld before being released in the Tampa Bay area.

Pamlico, the 9-foot female manatee rescued last fall, has been released into the Tampa Bay by staff from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation.

On Thursday, Pamlico the manatee was released into Apollo beach. Back in November, a manatee was found in the Tar River canal in Greenville and rescued by several different wildlife organizations. The 9-foot manatee was named Pamlico after her rescue.

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