Huge Sea Creature Filmed Grabbing a Bite To Eat in Flooded Backyard
Sometimes finding something good in the events of life is pretty hard, particularly when you live in Florida and spend another day being soaked by a storm.
That’s why Matt Hathaway of Flagler Beach was ecstatic that there was wildlife eating away at his lawn once Tropical Storm Eta was done dumping rain on the Sunshine State, leaving flooding in its wake, according to ClickOrlando.
Because in this case, the wildlife was more the seaweed-munching kind. It was a manatee.
Hathaway did what any right-thinking person would do in the social media age, and videoed the critter sampling what grows on what is normally dry land, posting the result on his Facebook page.
The one-minute video shows the manatee swimming along to reward Hathaway’s lawn maintenance with a hearty snack.
As #Eta flooded #Florida backyard, a #manatee swam up and began grazing on the lawn. https://t.co/eGbfmJ4xP1 via @AmberMRandall
— Craig Pittman (@craigtimes) November 14, 2020
“Tide is so high we have a manatee munching on the grass IN OUR YARD,” he posted.
In a later post, he wrote, “You never know what you will catch on video around here.”
His wife, Elizabeth, found a silver lining in the cloud that dumped upon them.
“Hey, at least I won’t have to mow down there when the water recedes,” she said in a comment on the video.
Matt Hathaway said that he saw the manatee swim off, perhaps to sample the flowers in another yard, leaving others to only wish they had been in his slightly soggy shoes.
I. Would. Die. Have you ever seen a manatee irl? It’s like you just got to see something magical. They’re so…big. And lovely, and slow, and harmless. https://t.co/4kOkP8MIdR
— Amanda #Warnock #Ossoff Weaver (@AWeaverWrites) November 15, 2020
Hathaway’s guest was more fortunate than two others, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The commission said on Facebook that high water levels from the storm led to two adult sea cows getting stuck in culverts at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
2 #manatees got stuck in culverts at #Florida‘s Merritt Island NWR after #Eta have been rescued and are now being monitored by @MyFWC https://t.co/oHDigTudQt
— Craig Pittman (@craigtimes) November 14, 2020
“Staff at the National Wildlife Refuge removed boards, freeing the manatees to enter the refuge system. Both manatees will be monitored over the coming days to determine if they will swim out the area on their own, or if our manatee rescue team will need to capture and relocate the pair,” the post said.
The post noted that the sea cows can often need help from their human friends.
“Manatees can become stranded or trapped during and after a hurricane or tropical storm. Manatees stranded by storms may need medical attention by wildlife experts,” the post said, urging citizens that if they saw a manatee in need of help, to contact the state agency.
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