Feb 27, 2009 8:30 am US/Eastern
Manatee Released After 26 Years At SeaWorld
ORANGE CITY, Fla. (CBS) ―
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Rita, a 12-foot-long, 3,000 pound female manatee, is released into Blue Springs State Park in Orange City, Fl. by SeaWorld Orlando's Manatee Rescue Team.
SeaWorld Orlando
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SeaWorld Manatee Rescue Team Members Jon Peterson (L) and Randy Runnells (R ) lower Rita into the water via crane.
SeaWorld Orlando
A manatee which has lived in captivity for 26 years at Sea World in Orlando, has been released back into the wild.
SeaWorld's Animal Rescue Team used a crane to lower Rita into the water on Thursday at Blue Springs State Park.
Rita is the largest manatee the park has ever cared for. The 12-foot-long, 3,000-pound female was rescued in 1982 from the Banana River in Merritt Island. Her right pectoral flipper had been caught in a crab trap, forcing SeaWorld vets to amputate.
A state-mandated quarantine for the papilloma virus (PV) kept Rita at SeaWorld longer than expected. At the time, wildlife officials feared the virus could be spread to wild manatee populations and officials thought Rita may have been exposed. Recently completed research, however, shows that PV already exists in the wild and provides no threat to wild manatees.
Rita is the first animal to be released by SeaWorld after such a long period of captivity. She was tagged and will be tracked by satellite.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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