JACKSONVILLE Fla.-- Seven months of constant care at Seaworld led up to Tuesday's release of a Jacksonville Manatee.
"It was very rewarding," said Brant Gabriel, supervisor of animal care at Seaworld. "We've worked with him for a while and the whole team puts in a lot of hours when it comes for caring for these animals."
Aptly named, Goodby was found near Goodby Creek, suffering from cold stress.
"He had a lot of almost frost bite around his flippers, his muzzle and his tail area," said Gabriel.
Eager to return home, Goodby was a bit jumpy once he saw the water.
"They have a home base so they have a location that they're kind of used to," said Gabriel.
Goodby's release was a success. He lingered at the docks, putting on a bit of a show for excited onlookers.
"Because of the big bobber it was kind of easy to know where to look so it was kind of obvious where he would be," said student onlooker Cailey Green.
Scientists have fitted Goodby with a tracking device so they can keep tabs on him. You can keep an eye on his whereabouts too by visiting the
wild tracks website.
