After months spent in rehabilitation, a manatee and her calf have returned to the wild.
The Tampa Bay Times reports that mother Pascow and calf Cotee swam back out to their natural habitat in the Pithlachascotee River on Thursday.
The pair was found trapped in a canal in May, with Pascow having sustained serious injuries to her tail, believed to be a result of a collision with a boat propeller.
Conservation experts took the two manatees to Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo for rehabilitation. The 1,240-pound mother was treated with systemic antibiotics and pain medication and her wound was cleaned and treated, enabling her to eventually nurse her calf. Cotee is believed to now be 4-5 months old, and has gained 50 pounds.
