Manatee rescued from Fla. storm drain

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A manatee rescued from a storm drain on Wednesday is recovering at SeaWorld.

The manatee was spotted around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday by a street crew worker who was working on a project nearby. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation officials, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue and a veterinarian from the Jacksonville Zoo helped assist with the rescue.

Authorities dug into the ground and cut pipes away in order to reach to the manatee. Once the top of the pipe was removed, a fire and rescue official was lowered into the drain pipe to help steer the manatee toward the opening in the pipe.

Rescue officials  manatee was put onto a stretcher and taken by a manatee rescue truck to SeaWorld. A SeaWorld representative said that their staff gave the manatee a routine checkup, some antibiotics and fluids and they'll continue to monitor the manatee.

The SeaWorld team will assess the status of the manatee Thursday and create a timeline for rehab and release.