ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Clearwater Marine Aquarium's rescue team along with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and ZooTampa Thursday afternoon rescued a manatee from a canal.
Aquarium leaders say the male manatee was underweight, had a watercraft head wound and lesions on his face and body.
The team members joined together in strength to lift the injured manatee out of the water and onto a blue tarp. He was then loaded into a truck to go receive treatment at a secondary location.
"With more than 1,000 manatee deaths reported in Florida this year, we are ready to respond in times of need to provide a second chance at life," CMA wrote in a statement.