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The manatee was seen in Quonochontaug Pond in Rhode Island, which is located on the state's coastline just over five miles from the Connecticut border, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announced on Monday, Sept. 11.
The sighting is the first time a manatee has been seen in Southern New England since 2016 since a member of the species was spotted off the coast of Cape Cod, officials said.
Officials from the DEM, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and Mystic Aquarium are now monitoring the animal.
Manatees, which are commonly called "sea cows" because of their diet of seagrasses and marine plants, are known to travel hundreds of miles during the year and are usually found near Florida and the Gulf Coast during the winter months.
During the summer, though, the animals expand their range, officials said.
Because manatees are protected by the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act, DEM officials advised the public to protect the animal by staying an appropriate distance away from it.
Additionally, any boaters in the area should watch out for the manatee and keep a no-wake speed if they see it nearby.
Anyone who sees the manatee should not feed or touch it and should stay at least 150 feet away, DEM officials added. Sightings of the animal can be reported to the Mystic Aquarium Animal Rescue Hotline at 860-572-5955 x107.
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