ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A manatee that has been rehabilitated since April was released on Monday in St. Petersburg.
The animal, named Flapjack, was spotted trapped in Clam Bayou, which is a retention pond system in Gulfport. Luckily, it was easy for a team of rescuers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to find him because he was tagged the last time he was rescued, and the tags work similarly to pet microchips.
The tags allowed the team to identify the manatee as Flapjack and access vital information to make the best decision for his health and well-being, according to a post by the commission.
Flapjack was previously rescued in 2021 when he was underweight and spotted in the Weeki Wachee River. He was rehabilitated at ZooTampa where he recovered and gained over 500 pounds and was released in September 2022.
This time, he was rehabilitated at SeaWorld before being transported to the Eckerd College campus in St. Petersburg and was released by a team from SeaWorld. Clearwater Marine Aquarium and Florida Fish and Wildlife and supporters celebrated his send-off.
