A 410-pound manatee, trapped in a Melbourne Beach storm drain while seeking warmer waters, was successfully rescued by a multi-agency team and is now recovering at SeaWorld Orlando, showing promising signs of improvement.
A 410-pound manatee found itself stuck in a storm drain in Melbourne Beach, Florida, after likely seeking warmer waters. A complex and coordinated rescue effort on Tuesday successfully extracted the sea cow. The operation involved multiple fire rescue units, officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the University of Florida, and even Jack’s Wrecker Service, all converging after a city worker spotted the manatee during a storm drain survey. The male manatee was transported to SeaWorld Orlando, where it is currently recovering in a medical pool. According to a spokesperson, the manatee is breathing independently, moving on its own, and showing interest in food, with teams adjusting water levels to ensure its comfort and buoyancy. SeaWorld's mission is to stabilize and rehabilitate rescued manatees with the ultimate goal of returning them to their natural habitat. This rescue highlights ongoing challenges for the protected species, which is still recovering from a severe mass starvation event in 2021 that caused over 1,100 deaths. While death rates have significantly decreased in recent years (565 in 2024 and 555 in 2023), conservation efforts remain vital. SeaWorld Orlando alone rescued 56 manatees last year and has already taken in seven this year.
