The manatee, a slow-moving creature of the sea, has been officially take of the endangered species list and moved into the threatened category, according to CBS News.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service made the announcement Thursday, saying that the manatee species, also known as sea cows, would retain many of their previous protections. However, the new status would allow wildlife officials more wiggle room in terms of how they are allowed to deal with the animals, CNS reported.
"Based on the best available scientific information, we believe the manatee is no longer in danger of extinction," said regional deputy wildlife director Michael Oetker.
The population of Florida's manatees has grown exponentially, from a couple hundred in the '60s to more than 6,000, according to WABE.
"It's taken eight years and two lawsuits to get the government to follow up on its own experts' recommendation to reclassify the manatee," said Christina Martin, an attorney for the Pacific Legal Foundation.
Some believe, however, that the sea cows are not ready to be put off the endangered list, with many unnatural dangers like boats and discarded fish debris, as well as naturally occurring threats like toxic algae and cold water.
