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Storm kills at least 64 people as devastating floods hit North Carolina

A young manatee that washed ashore at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, has been rescued and released back into Tampa Bay, the base said.

The mammal, native to Florida waters, washed ashore amid the coastal surge from Hurricane Helene, the base said in a Facebook post Saturday.

In a video released by the base, about a dozen people can be seen circling the large animal — state wildlife officials say it typically weighs about 1,000 pounds — and using a tarp or similar object to lift it into the shallows of a boat ramp.

The base thanked the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for its help in the rescue. Base personnel gave the manatee the name Troy, which in Greek mythology is the hometown of Helena and the site of a Greek siege carried out to wrest her from her captors.

“Troy is a male estimated to be 2-3 years old,” his post said. “Thanks to today’s teamwork, he has a long life ahead of him.”

According to the state Conservation Commission, Florida’s mammal population has rebounded to over 8,000 individuals, and the species was reclassified from endangered to endangered by federal law in 2017.

However, an unusually high number of manatee deaths since 2020 prompted an investigation into why they are dying at higher rates than usual, and the investigation is ongoing, the commission said on its website.

By Jasper

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