The first manatee ever rescued in North Carolina was released back into the wild Thursday after spending a few weeks recovering at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida. The manatee had been found by biologists lethargic and malnourished in mid-November in a drainage canal, likely attracted by the ditch's warmish waters, off the Tar River near Greenville.

The proposed rule would keep the Florida manatee as a threatened species, continuing its status since being delisted as endangered in 2017. A public hearing is set for Feb. 26.

However, some environmental groups hoped to have the Florida manatee uplisted as an endangered species, potentially bringing more resources to recovery efforts. On Monday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a proposed rule that would keep the Florida manatee at threatened and uplist the Antillean manatee,

Federal wildlife officials releasing a proposal that would continue to classify Florida manatees as a threatened species, after environmentalists argued they should be reclassified as endangered. For decades,

Nearly 2,000 Florida manatees died in 2021 and 2022. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the sea cows’ plight does not fit the definition of endangered.