DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A manatee and her calf who had been trapped at a Daytona Beach marina were freed Wednesday afternoon, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.
Officials said they used a barge and a backhoe to remove two panels from the barrier wall that the manatees were stuck behind at Halifax Harbor Marina, allowing them to swim back into the intracoastal waterway.
The manatees were first spotted in the walled-off pond Thursday as tide levels rose during Hurricane Dorian.
“The tide has been really, really high through here even before Dorian with the king tides and stuff, so it would have been really easy for her to get stuck in there," Daytona Beach resident Jean Dewey said.
It’s believed that the manatees were able to swim over the wall while water levels were high but unable to swim out once waters receded.
[ READ: ‘Dangerous conditions’ delay rescue of manatee, calf stuck in Daytona Beach pond ]
Officials said plans to rescue the manatees had been delayed due to dangerous conditions for both the animals and the workers tasked with freeing them.
Channel 9 reporter Mike Springer tweeted video of a kayaker who helped guide the manatees out of the opening and into the intracoastal waterway. See the video.
Officials said parts of the wall are being reinstalled and mesh is being added to the area to ensure the manatees cannot return to the pond.
They said they will return to the pond Thursday to ensure the pair has left the area.
Click here to watch live updates from the scene on Channel 9 Eyewitness News.
[ WATCH: SeaWorld employee bottle-feeds baby manatee in heartwarming viral video ]
DOWNLOAD: Free WFTV News & Weather Apps