Feature Image: St. Augustine Police Department/FB
Last Wednesday, June 5, a team of rescuers in St. Augustine, Florida were able to free a manatee who had found itself stuck upside down the mud. The manatee was first found by St. Augustine police in the late afternoon and they began to pour water on the female manatee until a biologist from the Jacksonville Zoo could arrive.
The police officers also called in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission who assisted in freeing the manatee. The rescue crew rolled the manatee onto a stretcher and lifted the manatee out of the muck, over an oyster bed, and into deeper water. Once in deeper water, the manatee was easily able to swim away by herself. In total, the manatee weighed around 1,000 pounds, so it was difficult for the crew to move it. However, they made it work.
One police officer said, “what a sight to see when she excitedly leaped off the stretcher.”
It was an amazing feat of teamwork for the policemen and biologists. The successful release was well worth the effort. If you see a stranded manatee, then please call the appropriate authorities for help. With the right team, it is possible to get manatees safely back into the ocean before it is too late.
Read more from our source, here.