CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. - Maybe, just maybe, the third time's a charm for Mo the manatee.

Twice before, state wildlife officials have tried to release the mighty creature back into the wild. And twice before, they've failed. On Tuesday, they went for try No. 3.

Mo was originally captured as an orphan in 1994 and was hand raised, which can make it more difficult to prepare an animal for release because they have learned little about living in the wild.

Mo's first attempt at being wild was in 1998. He was released again in February 2002. But just before spending a year in the wild, he was found in Sulfur Springs in Hillsborough County, emaciated and injured from a boat strike.

Mo is well known throughout the state for having lived at nearly every manatee-rehabilitation center.

The Miami Seaquarium has been Mo's home for most of the past year. There, animal keepers worked to teach him what he needs to survive in the wild.

"The reason he is significant is that this is the third time he is being released and we've never done this with any other animal," said Nicole Adimey of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Jacksonville office.