Rescuers free 19 manatees from Satellite Beach drain

Update, 6:45 a.m. Tuesday:

At least 19 manatees were pulled from Satellite Beach drains overnight and safely released back into the Indian River Lagoon where officials believe they traveled from in order to find warmth.

Operations ended at about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday along the 500 block of Cassia Boulevard. Firefighters, SeaWorld employees and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission left the site after inspecting the remaining culverts and drains.

"There were at least 19 or 20 that were rescued," Capt. Jay Dragon of the Satellite Beach Fire Department said. He added that all of the marine mammals – also known as sea cows – were in good condition.

"They were all released back into the river," he said.

The operation captured the attention of neighbors and the national spotlight as rescue crews pulled away drain covers and used construction equipment, fire engines and even a truck ladder to carry out the mass rescue of the manatees that somehow became trapped in the city's drainage system.

It was not immediately known how the manatees got into the drainage pipes. Rescuers speculated that the recent, late-season cold snap may have caused them to seek the warmer waters found in the pipes.

At least six manatees were pulled out of the drainage pipes by 9:30 p.m. Monday with rescuers digging and removing material to get further into the system. One of the manatees – believed to be a male – was spotted about 120 yards from the site where most of the rescues were taking place, according to Satellite Beach Fire Chief Don Hughes.

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Crowds of more than 50 to 100 onlookers grew through the evening as word spread of the manatees' situation. They cheered as they watched the creatures being lifted on stretchers out of the the pipes.

Once removed from the drain, the manatees were allowed to rest. They were then loaded into a nearby truck and taken back to a body of water leading to the river. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission marine biologist Ann Spellman said she was acting on a hunch when she called city workers earlier in the day and asked them to check the drainage pipes on Monday.

"They called by 3 p.m. to say they were there," Spellman said, watching as one of the manatees was released into a nearby pond.

Some of the manatees had scrapes, bloodied gashes and bruises after coming in contact with the concrete storm infrastructure. A calf – who thrashed around before rescuers could gently hold him down on a stretcher – and mother were among the first lifted out of the drain system.

Spellman said they likely followed one another from the nearby Indian River Lagoon.

The animals are known to congregate in beachside canals when the water temperature in the lagoon plunges. Central Florida's recent cold snap drove water temperatures down to near-dangerous levels for the warm-water-loving creatures.

"It's been cold lately and these canals are all filled with manatees,'' Satellite Beach Fire Chief Don Hughes said. "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."

Local police and fire agencies worked with SeaWorld and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in the rescue operation.

Hughes praised the quick response to free the creatures, some of which weigh several hundred pounds.

"My mother's here from Ohio, we heard about this and decided to come to see what was happening. She's never seen a manatee," said C.J. Miller, who's lived in the area for 35 years. "I've never seen anything like this, this is extraordinary."

The immediate costs of the operation were not known.

"What else could be done? These are living creatures," chief Hughes said. "We had no options."