Manatee rescued after being stranded in Florida ditch due to king tides

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Man, oh manatee.

A stranded manatee made it back to a suitable river location after being found in a ditch in Florida’s southern Indian River County earlier this week due to king tides, reports sansebastiandaily.com.

In fact, it was the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office deputies who assisted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s manatee rescue team in relocating the mammal that had become stranded in a shallow ditch.

It took about a dozen people to safely net the large animal in the ditch before transferring it to a blue blanket with handles and onto a transport truck.

“You don’t get to see that every day huh?” one of the deputies said to onlookers in the rescue video from one of the officers vest cameras. “Wake up in the morning and see a manatee in your ditch!”

King tides led to marine life being stranded

The ongoing King tides, which are the highest predicted ones of the year, have flooded low-lying coastal areas of the Treasure Coast this week with the highest expected to reach their peak on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Higher water levels are what can push animals into ditches and narrower waterways with some marine life left stranded during the receding tide.

“Thank you to everyone involved in helping protect one of Florida’s native species,” the statement from the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office said.

Manatees, who are sometimes called sea cows, are a protected native species in Florida.