RICHMOND, VA -
In his twenty years fishing on the James River, Sgt. Joe Owen says he's never seen anything like it, especially so close to Richmond's skyline. The avid fisherman was fishing near Ancarrow's Boat Landing on Tuesday when he says " I heard something blow behind me and I turned around and saw this huge animal, I was like my God!" exclaimed Owen. Owen immediately started taking snapshots with his phone. He says he got a much closer look when the manatee came to the surface. He says the giant mammal was around 8 feet long and weighed anywhere from 700 to 1000 pounds. "It was coming up to the top of the water getting air and flipping over on its back and wiping its face with its little flippers, and just swimming along, it wasn't paying me any mind." Owen spotted the manatee again Wednesday near the I-295 bridge near Dutch Gap in Chester.
Wildlife officials are hoping the manatee is making its way south. Known as sea cows for their massive size, manatees inhabit the Caribbean and The Gulf of Mexico. Experts say Georgia is usually their northernmost range, but on extremely rare occasions manatees have swam up the Midatlantic in the summer. Because of their slow metabolic rate, manatees do not survive well in cold water.
Owen says, "I know they're endangered so I hope somebody gets him or he makes his way back out to the ocean where he needs to be."
Anyone who spots the manatee is asked to call the Mammal Stranding Network at (757)437-6159. Because manatees are endangered, they are federally protected.
Wildlife officials are hoping the manatee is making its way south. Known as sea cows for their massive size, manatees inhabit the Caribbean and The Gulf of Mexico. Experts say Georgia is usually their northernmost range, but on extremely rare occasions manatees have swam up the Midatlantic in the summer. Because of their slow metabolic rate, manatees do not survive well in cold water.
Owen says, "I know they're endangered so I hope somebody gets him or he makes his way back out to the ocean where he needs to be."
Anyone who spots the manatee is asked to call the Mammal Stranding Network at (757)437-6159. Because manatees are endangered, they are federally protected.
