A seafaring raccoon was plucked off the Florida coast and safely released onto dry land.
Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium workers were helping an injured turtle in Sarasota waters Wednesday when they spotted the normally land-based bandit parked atop a channel maker, officials said.
SARASOTA, Fla. — Area police departments and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were called in to assist the raccoon. The rescuers had the raccoon in a net, but it managed to jump into the water.
“Oh my God, he’s adorable!” a rescuer is heard saying in a video.
The video posted online by Sarasota police shows the swimming raccoon darting around rescuers before returning to the boat, where it was placed in a cooler and returned to shore.
It's unknown how the raccoon managed to get to the channel marker.
Watch the video of the rescue below:
Associated Press
