A 2-year-old manatee stranded in a small Florida pond far from open water was rescued last week after the storm surge from Hurricane Helene carried it more than a mile inland.

TAMPA, Fla. — A manatee was rescued in the Big Bend of Florida early last week and transported to Tampa to be rehabilitated. Florida Fish and Wildlife officials teamed up with staff from Clearwater Marine Aquarium, the University of Florida and ZooTampa to save the sea cow entrapped in a small pond.

A 2-year-old manatee was found 1.5 miles from open water in a small pond near the Big Bend Wildlife Management Area in Dixie County.

Sea cow, not pond cow. A juvenile manatee was rescued from a small pond in Florida — a mile and a half from open water — after being stranded