Three manatees, two of which nearly froze to death in the chilly coastal waters of west central Florida last winter and the third from the previous winter, have warmed up and were released into Tampa Bay on Tuesday.
The trio of cold-stressed sea cows were plucked from the rehabilitation tank at the Lowry Park Zoo and taken to Apollo Beach, where they were released.
The manatees, named TECO 2, Turner and Bartlett, had been rehabbing at the David A. Straz Jr. Manatee Hospital at the zoo, recovering from cold-water stress during last winter's record cold spell.
Save the Manatee Club officials estimated that more than 300 manatees -- about 12 percent of the sea mammals' Florida population -- perished in the cold last winter. Before then, the record number of manatee deaths attributed to the cold in any given year was 56.
Several dozen were rescued from the frigid waters and have undergone rehab at various facilities around the state.
TECO 2 is a young adult male rescued near the TECO power plant in March 2009.
He weighed just 270 pounds at the time and, at not-quite 1, he was too young to be separated from his mother, who was nowhere to be found.
Turner is a young adult female rescued from Turner Creek in January after biologists determined she was cold stressed. She weighed about 400 pounds at the time.
Bartlett was rescued near Bartlett Park in St. Petersburg and has traveled extensively since she was pulled out of the water in January.
After her initial rescue, she was taken to the Columbus Zoo in Ohio.
After gaining strength and weight, to about 600 pounds, Bartlett was shipped to Lowry Park Zoo.
Step out from your florida villas and have a look at these amazing creatures
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