Raccoon stranded at sea rescued by police, wildlife officials

A seafaring Florida raccoon found itself in a predicament on Wednesday.

The plucky little land mammal became stranded on a channel marker in Sarasota waters, according to the Sarasota Police Department.

The department’s marine patrol unit received a request for help from Mote Marine Lab workers who noticed the stranded raccoon around 12:15 p.m. while aiding an injured turtle.

The marine patrol coordinated a rescue effort with Mote Marine, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and Longboat Key Police Department.

The raccoon was scooped off of its perch by a state wildlife official with a fishing net, a video of the dramatic rescue shows.

Then, it jumped ship and had to be re-rescued from the water.

The raccoon was eventually contained in a cooler and released on land.

This story was originally published March 20, 2019 at 4:45 PM with the headline "Raccoon stranded at sea rescued by police, wildlife officials."