As someone who goes to the beach nearly every weekend and is a huge animal lover, I know it would be hard to not want to jump in and help if you saw an animal in need, but FWC has a message to spread and that is to stop trying to save beached marine animals.
In this day and age of viral videos, NBC2 reports that there have been many lately in SWFL of people trying to save animals that have brought themselves to the shore. Denise Boyd who is a marine mammal researcher for FWC says that when the animals do this, it is often because they are sick or injured, so instead of trying to push them back into the water yourself, call FWC and the Southwest Field Station has people ready to assist.
You may think you're doing a good thing, but if the animal can't get the help it needs to later be rereleased, it could end up dying once it goes back into the water. It's a sad thing to think about when you're just trying to help, but it's an important reality to be aware of.
If you do find a stranded or beached marine mammal like a dolphin, manatee or whale, you can call the FWC Wildlife Alert number 1-888-404-3922 and press 7 or #FWC.
Marine Mammals You Can See In Florida:
Only One Florida Beach Makes List Of Best In America
Living in Florida, especially on the Gulf Coast, we have some amazingly beautiful beaches, so it was a bit of a shock to see that just one Florida beach has made the list of the best beaches in America.
Travel + Leisure put together the list based on factors like sand, waves, the level of seclusion, accessible parking, activities and the number of shaded trees.
Travel + Leisure's List of the Top 25 Beaches in America:
#25 Coney Island Beach, Brooklyn, New York
#24 Ocean Beach Park, New London, Connecticut
#23 Alki Beach, Seattle, Washington
#22 Coligny Beach Park, Hilton Head, South Carolina
#21 Carmel Beach, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
#20 Asbury Park Beach, New Jersey
#19 Park Point Beach, Duluth, Minnesota
#18 Gulf Shores Public Beach, Alabama
#17 Crystal Lake State Park, Barton, Vermont
#16 Rockaway Beach, Queens, New York
#15 Good Harbor Beach, Cloucester, Massachusetts
#14 North Beach, Tybee Island, Georgia
#13 Medano Creek, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
#12 Santa Monica Beach, California
#11 Grand Haven State Park, Michigan
#10 Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina
#9 Carlsmith Beach, Hilo, Hawaii
#8 Oak Street Beach, Chicago, Illinois
#7 Glass Beach, Port Townsend, Washington
#6 Harris Beach, Oregon
#5 Clearwater Beach, Clearwater, Florida
#4 Pope Beach, Lake Tahoe, Nevada
#3 Coronado Beach, San Diego, California
#2 Ocean City, Maryland
#1 Poipu Beach, Kauai, Hawaii
FWC Beached Marine Animals
