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Crews use bulldozer to rescue manatee stuck in sand during low tide

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium crews from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources were able to rescue the 10-foot manatee in Savannah.

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Georgia wildlife officials used a bulldozer to help rescue a manatee that got stuck in sand near Savannah.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources says the large manatee was navigating a manmade shortcut between rivers near Savannah on Oct. 1 when it got stranded at low tide. That's because the cut is being filled by the Army Corps of Engineers to create wetlands.

The state agency posted a video online that shows wildlife workers keeping the manatee wet until a bulldozer plows a trench that allows river water to reach the animal. Workers then roll the manatee onto a stretcher and guide it to deeper water.

Manatees are protected as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. They pass through Georgia waters on their way to Florida for the winter.

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute helped checked the manatee's health and fitted her with a satellite transmitter to track her after release. 

CMA said satellite transmissions show the manatee moving up and down the Savannah River nearby. 

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