In Florida, it is illegal to ride a manatee. Which is why 52-year-old Ana Gloria Garcia Gutierrez turned herself in to the authorities after she was photographed floating through the water on the back of one of the aquatic herbivores. After reports of a manatee-riding woman on Sunday at Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County, police released photos they鈥檇 obtained of the incident in hopes of identifying the joyrider. Gutierrez saw the photos and turned herself in, maintaining she was new to the area and . (The Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act states that it is a second-degree misdemeanor to 鈥渋ntentionally or negligently annoy, molest, harass, or disturb鈥 the endangered species.) She was charged but not arrested, and the case will be forwarded on to the State Attorney鈥檚 Office for prosecution. The ridden manatee was not injured.
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