‘600 pound babies’ return to Florida waters after rehabilitation. See their release

Two manatees are again “perfect big boys” after they were found sick and underweight in Florida in 2023, rescuers said.

Burrger was suffering from cold stress and clocked in at 320 pounds when rescuers took him in on Jan. 25, 2023, in St. Petersburg, ZooTampa at Lowry Park said in a news release.

A couple weeks later, rescuers said they took in the “emaciated” manatee named Vamo near Sarasota. He weighed just 260 pounds at the time.

A typical adult manatee weighs between 800 and 1,200 pounds and averages about 10 feet in length, according to Save the Manatee Club. The gentle giants feed primarily on sea grass.

Vamo and Burrger traveled to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta for some more “tender love and care” before they were eventually brought back down to Tampa a year later for their release, the aquarium said in a video documenting the event.

Rescuers moved the “almost 600 pound babies” from a truck to do a final health check before they were released. They took the animals’ measurements and did ultrasounds to make sure they had healthy layers of fat.

Then a large group of people carried the manatees a short distance to the water and let them swim away for a “second chance at life,” Georgia rescuers said.

During the winter months, manatees tend to congregate in Florida, although they can be found in estuaries, bays, and rivers farther north and west when it’s warm, according to Save the Manatee Club.

Researchers tagged the manatees to follow their journey.