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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
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Manatee rescued from chilly creek in New Jersey flies south for winter

Stranded manatee flown to balmy Miami for winter

By TAMARA LUSH and WAYNE PARRY | Associated Press | Oct 29, 09 5:56 PM CDT

A wayward manatee arrived at his new home in Florida after being rescued from murky waters near a New Jersey oil refinery.

In this photo released by the United States Coast Guard, Maya Rodriguez, a veterinarian at Miami Sea Aquarium in Miami, keeps a Manatee wet with bottled water during the mammal's flight from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City to the waters off Florida, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009. New Jersey Fish...
In this photo released by the United States Coast Guard, Maya Rodriguez, a veterinarian at Miami Sea Aquarium in Miami, keeps a Manatee wet with bottled water during the mammal's flight from Coast Guard...   (Associated Press)
A Miami Seaquarium worker touches Ilya, a wayward manatee, after arriving at the Seaquarium in Key Biscayne, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009. Manatee Ilya is a 9 1/2 foot, 1,100 pound male Florida manatee. Ilya needed to be rescued because New Jersey's waters are too cold for him. He's...
A Miami Seaquarium worker touches Ilya, a wayward manatee, after arriving at the Seaquarium in Key Biscayne, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009. Manatee Ilya is a 9 1/2 foot, 1,100 pound male Florida manatee....   (Associated Press)
Miami Seaquarium workers place Ilya, a wayward manatee, into the holding pool in Key Biscayne, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009. Manatee Ilya, a 9 1/2 foot, 1,100 pound male Florida manatee drifted out of South Florida waters into the waters of the northeast was rescued and was transported back...
Miami Seaquarium workers place Ilya, a wayward manatee, into the holding pool in Key Biscayne, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009. Manatee Ilya, a 9 1/2 foot, 1,100 pound male Florida manatee drifted out of...   (Associated Press)
In this photo released by the United States Coast Guard, Coast Guard personnel from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City and Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., join members of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, N.J., as they transfer a manatee onto a Coast Guard...
In this photo released by the United States Coast Guard, Coast Guard personnel from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City and Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., join members of the Marine Mammal...   (Associated Press)
Miami Seaquarium workers prepare to transport Ilya, a wayward manatee, to the holding pool in Key Biscayne, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009. Manatee Ilya, a 9 1/2 foot, 1,100 pound male Florida manatee drifted out of South Florida waters into the waters of the northeast was rescued and was...
Miami Seaquarium workers prepare to transport Ilya, a wayward manatee, to the holding pool in Key Biscayne, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009. Manatee Ilya, a 9 1/2 foot, 1,100 pound male Florida manatee...   (Associated Press)
Miami Seaquarium workers pour water on Ilya, a wayward manatee, before traking him to a holding pool at the Seaquarium in Key Biscayne, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009. Manatee Ilya, a 9 1/2 foot, 1,100 pound male Florida manatee drifted out of South Florida waters into the waters of...
Miami Seaquarium workers pour water on Ilya, a wayward manatee, before traking him to a holding pool at the Seaquarium in Key Biscayne, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009. Manatee Ilya, a 9 1/2 foot, 1,100...   (Associated Press)
Ilya, a wayward manatee, is shown as workers prepare to carry him to his holding pool in the Miami Seaquarium in Key Biscayne, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009. Manatee Ilya, a 9 1/2 foot, 1,100 pound male Florida manatee drifted out of South Florida waters into the waters of...
Ilya, a wayward manatee, is shown as workers prepare to carry him to his holding pool in the Miami Seaquarium in Key Biscayne, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009. Manatee Ilya, a 9 1/2 foot, 1,100 pound male...   (Associated Press)
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The manatee, which rescuers named Ilya, left Atlantic City International Airport on a transport jet Thursday.

The Miami Seaquarium was his ultimate destination.

Ilya was pulled from a creek at the ConocoPhillips oil refinery in Linden and had been recuperating at the Marine Mammal Stranding Center.

Federal wildlife authorities kept the rescue a secret, fearing a crush of media and well-wishers could stress the manatee.

Ilya needed to be rescued because New Jersey's waters were too cold for him to survive for long. He's been migrating as far north as Massachusetts for the past decade, but dithered too long in New Jersey this year.

By late Thursday, Ilya was lounging in a balmy 81-degree (27 degrees Celsius) pool with a view of the Miami skyline, with all the lettuce he can eat _ and even some female companionship.

Ilya was flown south aboard a Coast Guard C-130 cargo plane.

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Parry reported from Brigantine, New Jersey

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On the Net:

Marine Mammal Stranding Center: http://www.marinemammalstrandingcenter.org/

Miami Seaquarium: http://www.miamiseaquarium.com/

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