PLANTATION KEY, Fla. – A manatee was rescued over the weekend by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers with the help of local citizens, authorities said.
FWC Officer Bobby Dube said several people spotted the manatee in the water off a dock in Plantation Key early Saturday and told officers that the manatee seemed to be in distress and injured.
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When officers arrived, they noticed that the manatee could not swim or use its left fin.
"There was bottom paint transfer and a recent prop scar on the manatee's back," Officer Courtney BaumGartner said.
The people who spotted the manatee watched it until the FWC's Manatee Group arrived.
BaumGartner operated a boat while the Manatee Group guided the injured manatee into a hoop net and safely loaded him into their transport vehicle.
The manatee was taken to Miami for further evaluation and treatment.