An Ohio family helped save a baby manatee by calling wildlife officials when they saw the animal stranded in the shallow waters of Florida's St. Lucie River, The Orlando Sentinel reported.
The vacationing family was taking a stroll when they came across the lone male calf stranded on the beach and decided to alert the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission last week.
The young manatee appeared to be in distress and the family did not leave his side until officials arrived to take over.
The FWC said on Facebook that the calf, which measured 3 feet in length and weighed 30 pounds, had lesions on its skin and appeared to have been severely dehydrated.
"Thanks to this caring family from Ohio, the male calf was rescued and is now being bottle-fed around the clock at the Miami Seaquarium," FWC said.
One of the family members, Angela Millsap, told Fox 13 that it was an incredible experience to help the manatee.
"I would think anyone would have done the same as we did," she said. "It was the best trip ever with an incredible experience to top it off."
Officials noted that, while it is rare for a rescued manatee to survive at such a young age, they were hopeful that the calf was on the road to growth and recovery.
Meanwhile, the baby manatee has crept into the hearts of staffers at the Miami Seaquarium, who named him Rocky Road, The Orlando Sentinel reported.
FWC has been working hard to sustain the local manatee population, which is listed as a threatened species.
Since the 1970s, the manatee has been classed as an endangered species, but last year the federal government said it officially removed the aquatic creatures from that list and into the threatened classification, CNN reported.
In a bid to raise funds to continue efforts to increase the manatee population, the FWC has launched a campaign through which special license plates can be purchased for a nominal fee.
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