Nearly three weeks after she was found lethargic and malnourished in a drainage ditch on the Tar River near Greenville, a manatee that was the first of its kind to be rescued in North Carolina could be released back into the wild in early 2025.

“We have our fingers crossed that she is on the path to a speedy recovery and a quick return to her natural habitat,” Brant Gabriel, curator of rescue operations at SeaWorld Orlando, where the manatee is recovering, said Wednesday

The nearly 9-foot-tall, 855-pound female manatee was discovered miles up the Tar River from Pamlico Sound in mid-November. By this point, the manatees – also known as manatees – should be well on their way back south toward Florida and its warm winter waters.

But for some reason, this manatee had delayed its return to the Sunshine State.

Although she wasn’t injured, Gabriel said biologists were concerned the manatee would soon suffer from cold stress as water and air temperatures began to drop as Thanksgiving approached.

A general rule of thumb is that manatees develop cold stress syndrome, in which their body functions can stop when the water temperature drops below 68 degrees. The Tar River averaged about 60 degrees when it was discovered that she had floated up from Pamlico Sound and entered the drainage canal near a wastewater treatment plant, likely seeking heat from the plant’s runoff water.

“We were dealing with an animal that was in a very cold area with a cold front coming in,” Gabriel said. “So it was decided that we would Uber this animal south and get it through this cold front.”

Although she was dehydrated and malnourished, she began eating a little during the road trip to SeaWorld in Central Florida.

Gabriel said the manatee continued to regain her appetite and weight in Orlando, and exams and blood tests showed she was fairly healthy and getting back on her feet quickly.

“She left our ICU pretty quickly and is doing really well,” he said.

Next we need to spend a few more weeks getting her strength and weight back and then getting approval from the biologists before she is released.

Oh, and given a name.

“We definitely want to give her one with a connection to North Carolina, but we need to check with the biologists to make sure we don’t repeat one that’s already in our records system,” Gabriel said.

Manatees along the North Carolina coast? Yes, and why it might even be more common in November

Typically found around Florida, manatees migrate along the East Coast in search of new feeding grounds and to escape Florida’s hot summer water temperatures.

Although still rare, manatees have always been found in North Carolina. Generally, manatees are seen swimming along the state’s coastal waters and tributaries between April and late October. But it’s not uncommon for wildlife sightings in November, which could become more common as the planet warms due to climate change.

The extremely docile animals are found in shallow waters near the surface and are highly vulnerable to being struck by boats – one of the reasons for their protected status. The animal rescued near Greenville had scars on its back from a boat collision.

Gabriel said almost every manatee that comes through SeaWorld’s rescue center, which can number more than 60 animals a year, has boat scars on their backs.

“It just shows how common these events are,” he said, noting that the North Carolina manatee’s wounds were old and didn’t appear to have had any major impact on her. “It’s something they deal with every day.”

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, there are an estimated 8,400 manatees in Florida – a significant increase from the estimated 1,300 animals in 1991.

However, the animals are still considered endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Along with boat collisions, loss of habitat along waterways and declining water quality, algal blooms fueled by fertilizer runoff that can cloud the water and limit the growth of seagrass, the manatees’ favorite food, have decimated their numbers.

Manatee sightings are increasing in North Carolina.

Dr. Michael Tift, director of the UNCW Marine Mammal Stranding Program, said last month that nearly 100 sightings had been reported to his office this year alone – a number previously reached in more than a dozen years.

He added that the public should report any sightings of manatees — alive, dead or injured — to officials because it will allow researchers to determine where the manatees are congregating and how many may be traveling across the state.

Since this manatee was found in North Carolina and it has already been spotted on the East Coast, Gabriel said it is likely it will be released somewhere on the East Coast of Florida. She could also be tagged so researchers can track her migration path and track her behavior patterns.

But first she has to gain the weight she’s lost, and that could take a few more weeks – probably pushing the release date back to late January at the earliest.

“They are grazers, so it takes time to gain weight back,” Gabriel said. “But we are definitely on the right track.”

Reporter Gareth McGrath can be reached at [email protected] or @GarethMcGrathSN on X/Twitter. This story was produced with financial support from the Green South Foundation and the Prentice Foundation. The USA TODAY Network retains full editorial control of the work.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Manatee rescued in eastern North Carolina expected to make a full recovery