LARGO, Fla. — Humans weren't the only ones displaced by Hurricane Helene.
Five manatees ended up in a pond on the property belonging to Serenity Memorial Gardens in Largo.
So, on Friday, a team of about 50 marine life rescue workers were at the cemetery working to move the sea cows back where they belong.
Workers at Serenity Memorial Gardens say this isn’t their first manatee rodeo.
Last year, after Hurricane Idalia, they say there was one manatee stranded in the same pond.
So, this time, when they spotted five of them, they immediately knew to reach out to FWC, knowing Helene's storm surge almost certainly had something to do with it.
“We'd love to keep them here around,” said Carrie Orozco with Serenity Memorial Gardens. “But we know that's not a safe environment for them. To be out in the intercoastal where they came from is where they need to be.”
Orozco says a family visiting the cemetery first brought the manatees to their attention.
“While they've got food and supplies here in our pond and we love having them, it's best for them to be out in the open,” she said.
In all, they has spotted five sea cows. Four adults and a juvenile.
Marine life rescue workers say that many - in one spot – make this rescue a priority.
"You know, if we didn't get them today, they could, you know be here for a few weeks. They have food. They have water,” said FWC Spokesman Jonathan Veach. “But we do need to, obviously, get them back to their environment.”
FWC, along with the University of Florida, Mote Marine, Clearwater Marine Aquarium and a small army of volunteers corralled the sea cows using boats and a series of nets.
“Once we pull them ashore, which we just saw, they are going to have a medical work up in a tent with our partners at the University of Florida. After that, hopefully they're fine, usually they are, they're just fine after these events. We will then release them to the nearby estuary. We try to release them as close as we can where they're found,” said Veach.
FWC says all of the manatees rescued so far were healthy enough to return to their natural habitat.
People who watched the rescues from shore say it was a welcomed, if not inspiring distraction from what's been a difficult week.
“Trauma. And devastation. And you see something that brings your heart up a little bit. Yeah, it helps,” said neighbor Chris Burroughs.
“It's a reprieve from all of the devastation that we have seen in our area. The families that we serve, and even our own employees that we have here, we've had people that have lost so much, so to have a little bit of joy coming at a time like this it's refreshing for us,” said Orozco.
FWC says before this rescue they had already conducted four other Manatee rescues this week.
In addition to the one in Largo, Friday, there was another, they say, taking place in the Crystal River area.
They are also aware of at least eight more stranded manatees in Florida’s big bend region that they are aware of but have not been able to reach yet.