PONCE INLET, Fla. — A manatee in distress was found stranded off the beach in Ponce Inlet, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said in a social media post.
Volusia County deputies, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and members of the Marine Mammal Stranding Team worked together to rescue the mammal and have it transported to the Sea World Rehabilitation Center.
In a video posted to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office's Facebook, more than a dozen people can be seen carrying the manatee to be transported.
As a reminder, the sheriff's office said if beachgoers and visitors see a stranded animal, it's important to not approach or touch them. Instead, make a report to FWC's wildlife alert hotline at 888-404-3922.
FWC coordinates manatee rescue efforts with Florida as reports of injured or sick manatees from the public come into their hotline. Over the last three years, manatees have been dying at an alarming rate prompting feeding programs and reminding boaters on the water to look out for the gentle giants.
So far this year, 354 Florida manatees have died, 50 from watercraft, according to FWC.
Ocean conservationists say manatees are starving to death, citing unhealthy water quality.
"Manatees are really an indicator of a healthy Florida environment," Director of the Florida Conservation for Ocean Conservancy J.P. Brooker explained in an interview back in June.
Brooker said in just two years, the state has lost 25 percent of its manatee population. There are around 6,000 manatees in Florida. Brooker said it traces back to water quality.
"We’re putting too much stuff in the water and that’s creating a condition where manatees can’t thrive," he added.