A 410 pound manatee that got stuck in a Florida storm drain while seeking warmer waters is now on the mend at SeaWorld Orlando after a large scale rescue effort brought together multiple agencies to save the gentle sea cow. Multiple fire rescue units and officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission the University of Florida and even Jack’s Wrecker Service were brought in to get the manatee out of the storm drain in Melbourne Beach after a city worker spotted the animal during a routine survey. The crews convened on the scene after a surveyor with Melbourne Beach noticed the manatee in what is called a bethel box while the city was in the process of improving storm drains across the area according to Vice Mayor Terry Cronin.
The male manatee was taken to SeaWorld Orlando where it is being cared for in one of the park’s medical pools with spokesperson Stephanie Bechara reporting that he is breathing on his own moving independently and showing interest in food. The SeaWorld teams are adjusting water levels to support buoyancy and comfort as part of his care working to stabilize and rehabilitate the rescued manatee so he can ultimately be returned to the wild once fully recovered. The successful rescue represents important progress for a protected species still recovering from a mass starvation event that devastated manatee populations in recent years.
In 2021 officials recorded more than 1,100 manatee deaths mostly caused by starvation but the state’s Fish and Wildlife agency reported the number of deaths were down significantly with 565 deaths recorded in 2024 and 555 deaths in 2023. The rescue effort demonstrates the collaborative approach needed to protect these vulnerable marine mammals while giving this particular manatee a second chance at life in Florida’s coastal waters.
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/florida-fort-lauderdale-b2918565.html
