Two manatees were rescued Sunday after being stranded in Sarasota Bay in the Tampa, Florida, area when winds from Hurricane Irma sucked the water out of the bay.
Michael Sechler posted a photo of one of the manatees on Facebook where it was shared more than 6,000 times. The 500-pound manatees were beached on the bay bottom, too heavy for he and his friends to move, he wrote.
They tried to give the manatees water and keep them wet, but were just hoping the waters would come back into the bay to save them.
According to WPXI, Sarasota County and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission came on scene a few hours later to move the huge sea animals.
Marcelo Clavijo helped officials move the manatees onto tarps and dragged them into the water, where they swam off, Fox 13 reported. Clavijo said he was going stir-crazy and decided to take a walk when he saw the manatees.
Twitter users had high praise for the manatees' rescuers.
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