On February 9th, SeaWorld in Orlando received a call that there was an exhausted manatee stuck in a storm drain that needed immediate help.
Arriving on scene, rescuers quickly confirmed that the juvenile male had entered a storm drain and didn’t know how to escape.
Crews had to break through concrete and dig through several feet of soil to reach a “baffle box,” the structure where he had become trapped. Authorities believe he swam into the storm drain seeking warmth during a recent cold snap.
The rescue lasted several hours before the 410-pound marine mammal was transported to SeaWorld’s rescue and rehab center for manatees. This facility rescued 56 manatees in 2025, and this young male is already the 7th this year.
After an examination, it was determined he was significantly underweight, and showed signs of skin lesions that told of a struggle against the concrete baffle box.
3 days later, SeaWorld sent word out that the unfortunate was showing signs of improvement, breathing on his own, moving independently, and showing interest in food.
“Our animal care team is awaiting lab results, which will guide the care plan for this manatee and next steps,” SeaWorld Orlando told GNN in a statement. “[Our] goal is always to stabilize and rehabilitate rescued manatees so they can ultimately be returned to the wild once deemed healthy and stable by the Zoo teams.”
There are two recognized sub-species of the West Indian manatee, one is the Florida manatee, and the other the Antillean manatee.
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