PHOTOS: Stranded manatee rescued from sand bar in Florida

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida officials helped a manatee off a sand bar after it got stranded last week.

Photos posted to social media by the U.S. Coast Guard Station Fort Pierce show the 9.5-foot-long female manatee’s rescue.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologists checked out the manatee to make sure she was in good health.

They deemed her okay to be released and she was helped back into the water.

“Please call the FWC hotline at (888) 404-3922 to report injured, stranded, or dead marine mammals,” the coast guard wrote on social media. “Remember to never push back a stranded marine mammal as they strand for a reason and would need to be evaluated to determine if rehabilitation is necessary.”

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