An orphaned manatee has been returned to Florida waters more than three years after she was rescued.

SeaWorld Orlando's Rescue Team returned the manatee known as Blanche to the waters off Port St. John, Florida on Tuesday. Blanche was the sixth rehabilitated manatee SeaWorld has returned to the wild this year.

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Blanche was believed to be only two weeks old when she was found in 2014 in the Indian River. She weighed only 48 pounds. She required round-the-clock care and got regular bottle feedings.

She weighed 775 pounds when she was released.

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. (center) is flanked by GOP whip Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. (left) and Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, as Thune speak to reporters at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Earlier Tuesday, the Senate passed the budget reconciliation package of President Donald Trump's signature bill of big tax breaks and spending cuts. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

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