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Manatee rescue effort underway in Largo
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) is attempting to rescue manatees trapped in a pond in Largo on Friday.
LARGO, Fla. - Biologists from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission are attempting to rescue several manatees trapped in a pond at a Largo cemetery on Friday. At this time, it is believed there are five manatees, possibly including a calf and its mother.
"The plan will be to capture the manatees, complete a health assessment for each one, and if healthy, they will be transported via our manatee rescue trucks to a nearby boat ramp for release," state wildlife spokesperson Jonathan Veach told FOX 13 News in an email.
The discovery was made at Serenity Memorial Gardens in the days following Hurricane Helene.
FWC biologists will attempt to rescue several manatees trapped in a pond in Largo on Friday. (Courtesy: Serenity Gardens Memorial Park)
"We, a family that came in to visit one of their loved ones, and saw that the manatees were there," said Carrie Orozco, general manager at the funeral home. "Upon further inspection, we were able to get out there and take a look. We found that there were five of them and one is actually a little baby calf. So we've got a mom in there with her baby and some others."
Staff immediately reported the finding to a contact with Florida Fish & Wildlife, who assured them the animals would be safe until they could be rescued.
"FWC has reassured us that they have plenty of food in our pond, a lot of the vegetation that they love," Orozco said. "So they are eating. They seem to be pretty happy. And we check on them daily, sometimes multiple times a day, just to see how they're doing. They will come up into the shallow area where we can see them. But other than that, they're not really paying attention to us."
This is not Orozco's first brush with the aquatic mammals. After Hurricane Idalia in late August 2023, an adult female found her way into the pond.
"They (compared the manatee's age to) a teenager; it wasn't quite a calf," Orozco recalled. "It was an adult. I think they said she weighed around 400 pounds when they were able to get her out and observe her."
One challenge in that instance was that Serenity, as staff lovingly named her, enjoyed hiding out.
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"(FWC) came out with kayaks, with johnboats to be able to find her. And she would stay underwater for a long amount of time. And so she was actually with us, I want to say a little over three weeks before they were able to prove she was actually here."
The cemetery's pond is fed from Church Creek, which connects to the Intracoastal Waterway. As storm surge increases, the manatees and other marine life are able to swim in. Once the storm surge lowers, they are unable to return on their own.
In a September 30 social media post, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission reported that its biologists had been responding to reports of stranded manatees caused by the hurricane.
READ: This Florida town has now been hit by 3 hurricanes in 13 months
"If you encounter a stranded, injured or dead manatee, please do not attempt to handle it on your own," the post reads.
Instead, officials urge residents to call the commission's Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.
"Manatees stranded by storms may need immediate medical attention from wildlife experts," the agency said. "While our top priority has been to help residents and visitors of Florida recover from the impacts of Helene, we are also working swiftly to rehabilitate and conserve these gentle giants."
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