Woman Caught on Video Riding Manatee on Siesta Key

SARASOTA, FL -- Someone else is in trouble for riding a manatee.

This time, a WFLA news helicopter captured footage of a man and woman touching one of the protected animals as a group of them recently gathered on the north side of Siesta Key. The woman is even seen going for a ride on its back.

A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Committee patrol boat talked to the culprits and warned them not to touch the manatees, according to WFLA.

Last fall, a woman was arrested and charged with riding on the back of a manatee at Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County. And in February, a man was similarly charged in St. Lucie County after he allegedly posted Facebook images of himself and two kids petting, lifting, and sitting on a manatee calf.

It is against the law to touch or disturb manatees in the wild, which are listed as endangered by the state and federal governments.

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