Injured manatee rescued, taken to ZooTampa for rehabilitation

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. - Multiple agencies worked together to rescue an injured manatee after it was reportedly hit by a boat in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, on September 5, according to local media reports.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said it teamed up with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) after people on the beach reported a “manatee in distress.”

FWC biologists discovered the manatee was floating on the surface of the water due to an internal injury, the sheriff’s office said. Local media reported that the manatee’s “blunt force injuries” left it in critical condition.

The sheriff’s office and the FWC helped hoisted the 1,200-pound, 10-foot female manatee out of the water so it could be taken to ZooTampa for rehabilitation. Officials with ZooTampa said so far the manatee is doing well.