Following rehab, injured manatee is back in the waters
This injured manatee is about to be released into the sea after spending months of rehabilitation at the Miami Seaquarium. The 900-pound male manatee was nicknamed Key3PO. He spent 8 months recovering from an injury. It was rescued last August after a boat nearly severed its tail paddle. The mammal was left with a crushed vertebra, limiting its ability to move in the water. Manatees are also known as sea cows. They were taken off the U.S. Interior Department's list of endangered species last month and are reclassified as threatened. The move was condemned by conservationists who say it weakens protections for the giant marine mammal.