LANCASTER COUNTY, Va. — The Virginia Marine Police (VMP) said it rescued a stranded manatee from a pound net in the Northern Neck area on Sunday afternoon.
The manatee was found by paddleboarders around noon off the Windmill Point Marina, close to where the Rappahannock River and Chesapeake Bay meet, north of Mathews and Gloucester counties.
According to VMP, a police officer responded and found the manatee in the net freely swimming and not seeming to be distressed. The officer reached out to the Virginia Stranding Team to assess the health of the manatee and figure out the best way to rescue the animal.
After the officer reached out to the owner of the net, they came out within the hour to lower it, allowing the manatee to escape unharmed. The manatee was last seen continuing its journey back out of the Chesapeake Bay, VMP said.
Earlier this month, video was posted to social media showing a manatee enjoying the water near Windmill Point. It's not known if it was the same animal freed from the net on Sunday.
