REDINGTON BEACH – On the morning of Thursday, August 14, 2025, multiple agencies responded to reports of a stranded manatee in the 15700 block of Gulf Boulevard.
Personnel from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, and Clearwater Marine Aquarium tended to the immediate needs of the animal while awaiting the arrival of ZooTampa at Lowry Park.
According to initial information, the juvenile manatee may have got caught up in a “mating herd,” a highly active physical interaction among manatees. The animal was believed to be experiencing fatigue and possible bruising from the activity.
Upon arrival, personnel carried the manatee to ZooTampa’s Rescue-1 transport vehicle parked on Gulf Boulevard. Shortly after 10 a.m., the marine mammal was taken to the ZooTampa Rehabilitation Facility in Tampa for further evaluation and care by marine biologists and veterinarians.