Manatee rescued from storm drain recovers at SeaWorld Orlando: Could this have been prevented?

Manatee rescued from storm drain recovers at SeaWorld Orlando

A manatee rescued from a storm drain in Melbourne Beach is recovering at SeaWorld Orlando, where veterinarians say the animal is showing signs of improvement after spending days trapped underground.

ORLANDO, Fla. - A manatee rescued from a storm drain in Melbourne Beach is recovering at SeaWorld Orlando, where veterinarians say the animal is showing signs of improvement after spending days trapped underground.

Many are asking how the manatee became trapped and could this have been prevented.

The backstory:

An adult manatee that became stuck inside a storm drain under a Melbourne Beach roadway on Monday and was freed following an hours-long operation, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. 

Shortly before 6 p.m., road crews began methodically breaking away concrete and digging through several feet of dirt before reaching a "baffle box," in which the animal had become trapped. 

The structure is designed to collect debris from runoff before it enters the Indian River. Authorities believe the manatee swam up the storm drain to seek warmth during last week's cold snap that brought subfreezing temperatures to the region.

Crews accessed the baffle box and secured the manatee with straps before lifting it to safety and moving it to a transport truck.

Could this have been prevented?

What they're saying:

We spoke with a large wildlife rescue expert who was on scene to talk about the hazards of saving creatures in a storm drain. People can be put in danger in these situations because of hazardous air from a storm drain and also the unpredictable behavior of the trapped animal. 

Prevention is key to keeping people and animals safe and out of places they don't belong, experts say. 

"There are a lot of different things that can go awry in a storm drain rescue," said Brandi Phillips, an Animal Technical Rescue Branch Director at UF Veterinary Emergency Treatment Service. "Prevention is the best medicine and anything we can do to prevent access from manatees and other creatures that we don’t want to end up in these storm drains."

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Other manatee advocates said they were appalled there was no storm drain grating in place to keep a 400-pound manatee out of a drain. 

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The non-profit, Friends of Manatees, said coastal communities should have grating in place to prevent large wildlife from coming in storm systems.

"This animal would have suffered a horrible death," said Denise Anderson, director of Friends of Manatees. "It’s an absolute failure, it’s an injustice, and it’s preventable."