A distressed mother manatee and her calf were rescued from Allen's Creek in Pinellas County last week, according to Clearwater Marine Aquarium.
The rescue happened Aug. 26 after the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission learned about the situation from concerned citizens. A team of more than a dozen rescuers from the aquarium and FWC found that both of the adult's flippers were entangled in rope from a crab trap, and the left flipper was deeply embedded.
Staff also rescued the rescued the young calf, which did not have any visible injuries but seemed underweight and dependent on its mother, the aquarium said.
Both manatees were transported to Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo, where they are receiving treatment. Once recovered, both manatees will be released back into the wild, the aquarium said.
Allen's Creek is a tidal estuary in mid-Pinellas County.