Stranded Manatees And Flamingos Are Being Ushered To Safety As Hurricane Irma Roars Over Florida

Hurricane Irma has made multiple landfalls in Florida, leaving lives and property in shambles while the worst is reportedly still to come. The human toll these storms have had on the Caribbean and Florida (before it hits Georgia) is currently difficult to quantify — some islands have yet to be heard from — so it’s easy to forget the chaos wildlife has endured over the last few days.

In a testament to the general kindness of strangers amidst troubling times, Floridians have taken it upon themselves to rescue stranded sea life as soon as it was safe for them to do so. Some have banded together to rescue manatees they found in the sucked dry beaches of Sarasota, where swells pulled water out to the ocean under the low pressure of the storm.

Using a tarp from one of their trucks, the good Samaritans were able to roll the manatees, which can weigh upwards of 650 pounds, onto the tarp so they could drag the sea cows back to the relatively calm waters.

https://twitter.com/PaigeANjax/status/906984985927798784

Elsewhere, lines of pink flamingos are being led to safety while shelters hustle to find homes and ways to evacuate their denizens, which are becoming overwhelming for some animal rescues.

(Via Mashable)

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