An 1,100-pound manatee has been returned to the wild after a Florida zoo helped it recover from eating toxic red algae.
Lee County sheriff’s officers helped return the manatee, nicknamed Darling, to the water on May 12, and released video of the event.
The manatee was rescued by the sheriff’s office marine unit on Feb. 13 after it became trapped in mangroves and needed treatment for its red tide illness.
Once Darling was healthy enough to go back to the wild, sheriff’s deputies partnered with officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, biologists and volunteers to release it.
The video shows the manatee swimming away as rescuers cheered.