Rescue efforts continue to free manatees trapped in drainpipe
Rescuers and wildlife experts are working through the night to free as many as 19 manatees trapped in a storm drain system at Florida's Satellite Beach.
Rescuers are using earth-moving equipment as delicately as possible to move the massive animals, which are generally between 2.5-4m long and can weigh up to as much as 600kg.
So far, rescuers have managed to free 15 of the gentle creatures, but just how they got in the drain system remains unclear.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission marine biologist Ann Spellman raised the alarm yesterday when she had a hunch something might be amiss in the manatee world – and she was right.
It's been cold in Brevard County lately, with central Florida enduring a cold snap, and the manatees have been known to abandon their lagoon and move to the warmer water in the canals.
The creatures also tend to stick together, so although it remains a mystery how they got into the drain system, Ms Spellman said they probably followed one another from the Indian River Lagoon.
"It's been cold lately and these canals are all filled with manatees,'' Fire Chief Don Hughes told CBS.
"I wouldn't even begin to venture a guess as to how they got into the drainage pipes.
"They will go wherever there's warm water."
Among the first to be freed from the drain were a mother and cub.
The operation continues.
Source: CBS
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