5 manatees rescued as orphans get released in Florida waters at Blue Spring State Park

Five orphaned manatees were released back into the wild Wednesday at Blue Spring State Park in Florida.

The crew of beloved sea cows, Squirrel, Lizzie, MaryKate, Clank, and TinkTink, were all rescued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership organizations (MRP) between 2020 and 2021.

They were all just little nuggets then; Lizzie and Squirrel weighed less than 70 pounds when they were rescued. Over the last few years, they have been rehabilitated with the help of organizations including SeaWorld Orlando, Miami Seaquarium, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, and Save the Manatee Club.

When they made it back to the wild on Wednesday, they all weighed between 700 and 1,000 pounds.

The release was complex and took all day to complete, according to a release from the MRP. But the manatees, now fitted with GPS tracking devices, are back home in Florida waters.

More manatee news:About 1,000 manatees piled together in a Florida park, setting a breathtaking record

Meet the manatees: Squirrel, Lizzie, MaryKate, Clank, and TinkTink

For this motley crew, they more than rehabilitated, they grew up. Here are the manatees that were released at Blue Spring State Part Wednesday:

• Squirrel – rescued in Tavernier, Florida at 66 pounds. Weighed 960 pounds upon release
• Lizzie – rescued in Palm Coast, Florida at 63 pounds; Weighed 855 pounds upon release
• MaryKate – rescued in Blue Spring State Park at 107 pounds; Weighed 815 pounds upon release
• Clank – rescued in Port St. John, Florida at 128 pounds; Weighed 725 pounds upon release
• TinkTink – rescued in Blue Spring State Park at 124 pounds; Weighed 840 pounds upon release

"Over the past several years, we have been called upon to rescue an increasing number of injured, sick, and orphaned manatees,” said Virginia Edmonds, President of the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership in the release. “We are grateful to our partners for stepping up to the plate to not only rescue animals in need, but to commit countless hours to the collective rehabilitation of these animals, which enabled the releases (Wednesday.) But our work doesn’t stop here."

Manatees, native to Florida, deemed a threatened species

The Florida manatee is a large, gray aquatic mammal native to the region. They typically grow to be nine to 10 feet long and weigh approximately 1,000 pounds.

The Florida manatee was classified as an endangered species before its population reached more than 7,500 and it was reclassified as "threatened," meaning it still could become an endangered species in the near future.

Collisions with boats and loss of habitats that provide warm waters, like the one at Crystal River, threaten the manatee population. Many manatees are also struggling to find food.