Local News

Manatee stranded at low tide in Savannah rescued

Wildlife workers keep a stranded manatee wet until a bulldozer plows a trench that allows river water to reach the animal. Workers rolled the manatee onto a stretcher and guided it to deeper water.
Wildlife workers keep a stranded manatee wet until a bulldozer plows a trench that allows river water to reach the animal. Workers rolled the manatee onto a stretcher and guided it to deeper water.
By The Associated Press
Oct 31, 2019

Georgia wildlife officials used a bulldozer to help rescue a manatee that got stuck in sand near Savannah.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources said the large manatee was navigating a man-made shortcut between rivers near Savannah on Oct. 1 when it got stranded at low tide. That's because the cut is being filled by the Army Corps of Engineers to create wetlands.

»PHOTOS: Over 200 manatees keeping warm near Florida power plant

The state agency posted video online that shows wildlife workers keeping the manatee wet until a bulldozer plows a trench that allows river water to reach the animal. Workers then roll the manatee onto a stretcher and guide it to deeper water.

Manatees are protected as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. They pass through Georgia waters on their way to Florida for the winter.