This is the tense moment conservationists rescue an injured manatee as it thrashes around wildly, threatening to capsize their boat.

The footage shows volunteers hauling the large manatee, which is also known as a sea cow, a board a search-and-rescue vessel using a large net.

The manatee (Trichechus) can be seen thrashing around wildly as it is hauled onto the boat.

The volunteers can be heard saying “one, two, three, pull!” as they haul the large marine animal onto the vessel.

It can be seen lying on the left side of the boat and making it tilt dangerously to one side.

One of the volunteers can be seen sitting on the right side of the boat to balance the weight and avoid it capsizing.

The incident took place recently in Brevard County in the US state of Florida, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission issued a statement obtained by Newsflash in which it said: “When our law enforcement staff found a manatee swimming abnormally, they called in our marine mammal rescue team.”

The conservation commission has said that manatees in Florida are dying at an alarming rate, primarily due to starvation, and it is ramping up efforts to feed them tonnes of lettuce every week, which is part of a promising new programme.

The conservation commission said that it was feeding approximately 350 of the animals every day.

In its statement about the rescue, the conservation commission also said: “Watch how strong manatees are (even injured!) and why rescue work requires highly skilled and trained staff to respond. Staff and partner organizations with the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership are working hard to respond to reports of manatees in distress.”

In a statement posted on its website, the conservation commission said that along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, it was continuing its supplemental feeding trial for manatees at the Temporary Field Response Station in Brevard County.

It explained that it was doing so in a way that would avoid the animals “associating people with food”.

It said that “as of February 16, approximately 20,000 lbs of romaine and butterleaf lettuce is being offered weekly, which is supplied by Florida growers”.

It has reportedly fed manatees approximately 50,000 lbs of fresh produce since 20th January, most of which it said had been paid for using money from public donations.

The conservation commission said that “the need for manatee rescues remains high and responding to manatees in distress continues to be a high priority.”

It added: “Manatee mortalities continue to increase, and staff are working diligently to collect and examine the carcasses. The FWC and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service greatly appreciate the dedicated efforts of our many partners within the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership.

“Public reports about distressed manatees to the FWC’s Wildlife Alert hotline are also appreciated and allow trained, expert staff to determine the best course of action. If you see an injured, sick, orphaned or dead manatee, please contact Wildlife Alert at 888-404-FWCC (3922).”