Apr 17, 2008 1:14 pm US/Eastern
Into The Wild: Injured Manatee Heads Home
KEY BISCAYNE (CBS4) ―
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Sharpie the manatee was rehabilitated at the Miami Seaquarium since Feb. 2008 and released back into the wild in Key Largo in April 2008.
CBS
Marine experts at the Miami Seaquarium are saying goodbye to one of its temporary guests, a manatee which was brought to the marine park in February after losing a flipper in a boat strike and fishing line entanglement.
Experts from the Dolphin Research Center and Florida Fish Wildlife Conservation Commission rescued "Sharpie" in late February and brought him to the Miami Seaquarium for rehabilitation.
Sharpie was put into a pool with an older female manatee named "Senora" in hopes that the interaction would be beneficial. Apparently it worked because Sharpie, a male juvenile, has recovered and was released back into the wild on Thursday afternoon.
Sharpie was loaded into a truck at the Seaquarium and driven to Key Largo where he was released into the water behind a tavern that once was a set for the 1948 film "Key Largo", which starred Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson and Lauren Bacall.
Sharpie's release took place behind the Caribbean Club, situated bayside at mile marker 104.5 in Key Largo.
The male manatee is estimated to be about 18 months old.
Experts say despite the fact that he only has one flipper, he's expected to do just fine in the wild because manatees can adapt quickly to the use of only one flipper.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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