(TMX) – A pair of sheriff’s deputies rescued a distressed manatee in Florida by standing in the water and holding its head up for two hours, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
When red tide levels were high a few weeks ago, the department’s Marine and Environmental Lands Unit received a call about a distressed manatee in the Intracoastal Waterway west of Tampa. Deputy Jill Constant arrived on the scene and immediately jumped into action.
“This manatee is going to die right in front of us and I’m not letting that happen,” Constant said in PCSO’s Inside the Star newsletter.
“We’re watching it, and it will not go underwater. It just stayed at the surface with labored breathing,” Constant said. The “exhausted” manatee was trying to beach itself on some rocks to keep from drowning.
“We docked the boat, I took off my equipment, and got in. We stayed in the water for two hours holding its head up until it could be rescued,” Constant said. But as the manatee began recovering its strength, it started fighting against its rescuers, thrashing in the water until Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials arrived.
FWC biologists said the manatee would likely make a full recovery.
Although boat strikes account for around 25 percent of Florida manatee deaths, according to the FWC, many have been dying of starvation in recent years due to the loss of seagrass in Florida’s waterways, and more frequent red tide events.
Although manatees are docile and friendly, it is against the law to touch, feed, or provide fresh water to manatees in Florida. Manatee molestation can be a felony depending on the degree of contact, the sheriff’s office said.
“Most people out here do not have ill intent. They don’t want to hurt a manatee. People just get enamored of how sweet they are, how social they are, and they’ll come right up to you. But it’s that forbidden fruit. You can’t do it,” Constant said.