Nineteen manatees were rescued from a cramped drain pipe on Florida’s east coast between Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning, the Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission said.
The aquatic mammals, sometimes called “sea cows,” swim toward warm water when cold weather snaps drive down the temperature of their normal rivers and lagoons.
Authorities were called in after a neighbor heard the manatees’ cries from the drainage canal below a large cement block in a residential neighborhood, according to WESH Orlando.
BREAKING: Manatee rescue underway in Satellite Beach. I'm told more than a dozen trapped in drainage pipe. pic.twitter.com/WK4oMv3Tee
— Justin Warmoth (@JustinWarmoth) February 23, 2015
Firefighters, SeaWorld officials and Florida fish and wildlife personnel were able to uncover the drainage canal and lift some of the animals out using heavy machinery. It took up to 40 workers to free the animals from the 150ft-long pipe, WKMG Orlando reported.
A marine biologist said the manatees ran the risk of drowning if they weren’t released.
“Definitely have a female with a calf in here, that’s a problem. We’ve got an animal turned sideways, that’s a problem and we’ve got a lot of rain coming the next few days,” marine biologist Ann Spellman told WESH Orlando. “These pipes will fill up. If we don’t get the animals out there’s a really good chance they are going to drown.”
Some of the animals swam away after others were moved out of the way. Local television stations captured onlookers cheering as the animals were freed.
MT @CBSThisMorning: 19 #manatees back in the wild this AM after rescue op overnight: http://t.co/Kx5AwECiiW pic.twitter.com/WN8s8xEIHR
— MyFWC Life (@MyFWClife) February 24, 2015
Authorities first believed about a dozen manatees were lodged, but later counted 19 turned sideways or wedged in the canal, Florida fish and wildlife commission tweeted.
In Satellite Beach, fish and wildlife commission authorities believe the animals got stuck after swimming from the nearby Indian River Lagoon, on the western side of the barrier island where the town is located, according to CBS News.
Though chilly weather likely drove the manatees toward the warm canal, the weather would still appear pleasant to most. Tuesday morning was in the mid-60s F (~18C), and the last three days have hovered between the low 50sF (~10C) and 80sF (~26C).
Satellite Beach is about an hour south-east of Orlando, central Florida’s largest city.
