Republished October 18, 2016 - 2:40 PM
Original Publication Date October 18, 2016 - 11:50 AM
MYSTIC, Conn. - A pregnant manatee that was rescued off Cape Cod has been flown from Connecticut's Mystic Aquarium to Florida.
The manatee is named Washburn after the island where she was rescued. She was moved Tuesday to SeaWorld in Orlando, where she'll be cared for until she can be released back into the wild.
Manatees are mammals and are sometimes referred to as sea cows. A spokeswoman for Mystic Aquarium says it's very rare to see them as far north as New England.
The 800-pound manatee was rescued Sept. 22 as water temperatures were dropping below 67 degrees, too cold for it to survive.
A U.S. Coast Guard plane took off Tuesday morning from Groton (GRAH'-tuhn), Connecticut, with the manatee and arrived Tuesday afternoon.
News from © The Associated Press, 2016