BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission marine mammal rescue team rescued an 8-foot manatee from a residential pond in August.
According to the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, the manatee got into a pond at Pembroke Pines through a submerged culvert.
Residents first noticed the manatee several weeks prior to the report. Biologists monitored the animal and noticed it appeared slightly underweight and was seen “pacing.”
Based on those facts, and the time the manatee had spent in the pond, the manatee was captured and relocated out of the system.
Staff measured the culvert and determined the manatee could have left through it, and smaller manatees were seen coming and going without issues.
“Our biologists hypothesize the manatee may have “pec-crawled” through the culvert to get into the pond, likely had some difficulty (he had round healing lesions on both flippers), which is why he didn’t attempt to leave,” the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute said in a Facebook post.
FWC is looking into a potential need for a grate on the culvert.
Report entrapped, injured or dead manatees by calling FWC at 888-404-3922 or *FWC or #FWC on your cell phone.