Manatee in distress: Florida deputy dives into action to save struggling sea cow

LARGO, Fla. (CBS12) — The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) saidwhen red tide levels were high, Deputy Jill Constant got a call from a woman who said there was something wrong with a manatee.

The sheriff's office said some calls turn out to bemisunderstandings, it's normal for manatees to swim into culverts, or for groups to thrash around in shallow water and partially beach themselves during mating season. However, the situation became clear when the PCSOMarine and Environmental Lands Unit deputy saw the manatee, she knew it was in deep distress.

“We’re watching it, and it will not go underwater. It just stayed at the surface with labored breathing,"Deputy Jill Constant said.

When the exhausted manatee desperately tried to beach itself on the rocks so it wouldn’t drown, Deputy Constant knew she had to do something, the sheriff's office said.

“This manatee is going to die right in front of us and I’m not letting that happen!" Deputy Constant said. "We docked the boat, I took off my equipment and got in. We stayed in the water for two hours holding its head up until it could be rescued.”

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Deputy Constant said after the two hours, the manatee was starting to regain its energy. However, it wasn't as grateful to Deputy Constant for the rescue.

“At the end of the process, it was not happy with us! At the beginning, it was too exhausted, but after a while, it had recovered its strength a little and it started thrashing. I thought I was going to drown – a martyr for the cause.”

The sheriff's office saidFlorida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) biologists later responded, and it was believed the manatee would make a full recovery.