Thursday morning, a Cape Coral couple and their 7-year-old Pomsky noticed something out of the ordinary in their backyard canal.
“My dog was barking like crazy, and we ran out here and saw a manatee going down the canal, but it was, she was on the water, and so we watched her go all the way down there.”
But it wasn’t like any of the manatees or dolphins that Kelly and Matt Taylor typically see.
“She was breached the whole time. We saw her for about 30 minutes, and she was out of the water more than you normally see one of the manatees. It was by six inches or so out of the water the whole time. So only about once every 30 minutes would the manatee go back underwater,” said Matt and Kelly Taylor.
The couple immediately called FWC, to which they told them that they had already been looking for this injured manatee since December 14th, and that they’d be on their way shortly.
After a couple of hours, FWC arrived at the couple’s backyard and began the rescue process.
Kelly Taylor documented the rescue on her phone.
“I felt sorry for her. She was hurt, so hopefully, hopefully they’ll rehab her, and she’ll be just fine,” said Kelly.
Florida Fish and Wildlife tells WINK News that the manatee was suffering from a punctured lung and was immediately transferred to Zoo Tampa and is currently under critical care.. And when they have more updates, they’ll make sure to share it with us.
FWC says if you or someone you know encounters an injured manatee, please call their wildlife alert hotline at 888-404-3922.