CITRUS COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) are working together to try to rescue an injured manatee in the Homosassa River.
On Saturday, Aug. 26, CCSO said it received reports of a large injured manatee. Marine deputies located the manatee and contacted FWC biologists to determine the best way to handle the situation. A post on CCSO’s Facebook page says “due to the size of the manatee a large crew of highly trained personnel will need to be assembled to rescue the injured manatee.” As of Saturday, they say the manatee had made itself comfortable in a cove.
CCSO says if you see the injured manatee travelling in open waters, call FWC Dispatch at 904-359-6584 to report its direction of travel. But boaters are urged to NOT attempt to corral or rescue the injured manatee if you happen to come across it.
“It is very important for everyone’s safety that we listen to the biologist’s instructions and await the trained crew’s arrival,” said CCSO Sheriff Mike Prendergast. “Although we don’t know exactly where in our waterways this manatee was injured, I want to remind all boaters to observe all posted signs: No Wake Zones, Speed Limits, and Idle Speeds.”
CCSO says manatees are a federally protected species and only trained, experienced, and federally permitted specialists/organizations are authorized to capture, handle, and transport them. The sheriff’s office advised that these types of rescues can be very dangerous posing a safety risk to both the rescuers and the manatee.
CCSO says the manatee will be transported in a specialized box truck to Zoo Tampa for treatment once they’re able to capture it.