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Mama manatee and calf rescued from FL canal after Hurricane Michael

Posted at 4:10 PM, Oct 11, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-11 17:10:03-04

By Ed Payne

CRYSTAL RIVER, FL (RNN) – Rescue crews helped a manatee mom and her baby after receding flood waters from Hurricane Michael left them stranded in a canal.

The rescue began with the team herding the pair into open water to begin the transfer, Bay News 9reported.

Getting the baby out of the water wasn’t too hard.

Hoisting mama took a little more effort. The average weight of a full-grown manatee is between 1,500-1,800 pounds.

Crystal River bills itself as the Manatee Capital of the World. The mammals are no longer on the endangered list but are considered threatened.

Once out of the canal, it was time to transfer the pair to nearby Crystal River.

With a big splash, mom and calf swam out into the river, leaving their rescuers behind.

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