A resident of an American city called St. Petersburg, located in the state of Florida, was imprisoned for riding a manatee. In this state, such marine mammals are protected by local law, and any attempt to intervene in their personal space entails criminal liability. According to Reuters, a criminal named Anna Gloria Garcia Gutieres voluntarily went to the police to surrender after she found out that she was wanted.
This unpleasant incident with riding on manatee occurred on a September day in 2012. Anna Gutieres discovered an animal in the water that she had not seen before. She decided to approach him, the animal was not afraid, so the woman began to touch him and swim next to him. Such an act of a 53-year-old resident was captured on tape, after which she was immediately taken to the police. After the police saw this photo material, they immediately started searching for a woman, connecting residents of the city and the surrounding area for this. Upon learning that, without knowing it, she had committed a crime, Anna Garcia called the police herself, hoping to resolve this misunderstanding peacefully.
During a conversation with representatives of local authorities, the woman explained that she had recently moved to St. Petersburg, and could not know that swimming with manatees is considered illegal and entails punishment, especially since the animal was not at all against. Anna was later charged with violating an article from the Manatee Protection Act in force in this state of the law. According to this act, any attempt to invade personal space or the life of manatees will be immediately punished by a fine of $ 500 or imprisonment for six months. After voluntarily appearing at the police and signing a statement about a sincere confession, a resident of the city was released on bail with a recognizance not to leave. The date of the court hearing of the case on skiing on manatee is not currently reported.
