Featured Image Credit: Source.
By: Sarah Sharkey
Earlier this summer a beached manatee received the wrong kind of help from beachgoers. Instead
of waiting for qualified wildlife professionals, a group of people rolled the manatee back into the
water.
According to Denis Boyd, a research associate with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission (FWC), “The manatee was barrel rolled down the beach, we have another incident
where that happened and it actually caused the manatee’s death.”
Boyd received the call from the beachgoers and requested that they wait until she arrived to do
anything. The caller ignored her request and simply rolled the manatee back into the water.
Boyd said, “Pushing them back out makes a bad situation much worse. Unless a biologist can assist,
the animals should not be pushed back for any reason.”
Apparently female manatees occasionally beach themselves during mating season to take a break.
The female uses this as a strategy during this time of the year.
FWC decided not to press charges against the individuals that pushed the manatee back into the
water because their intentions were good. Even with good intentions, it may have caused harm to
the manatee.
If you ever find yourself on the beach with a manatee, please call the appropriate authorities. Do not
attempt to rescue the animal by yourself.
Read more from the source.