FWC: Manatee rescued from roadside in Crystal River
LAKE MARY, Fla. - Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers tended to a manatee that was found on the side of a road in Citrus County this week.
The manatee was located in Crystal River, likely stranded due to rising waters from a storm, according to FWC.
"After a storm passed through during high tide, this manatee was likely able to swim near the side of the road in the rising waters, and it became stranded once the water receded," MyFWC posted on its Facebook page.
Florida is experiencing what FWC is calling Unusual Mortality Event (UME) on the East Coast with a record number of manatee deaths, but the wildlife agency said this incident is unrelated and isolated.
If you see an injured, distressed, sick or dead marine mammal, please call the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404- 3922. Early rescue efforts may save a marine animal’s life.
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