100 Manatees Crowd Into Brevard Canal For Warmth

The cold weather is causing big problems for manatees. One hundred of the big sea cows have crowded into a Satellite Beach canal in Brevard County (see map) looking for warmth. The problem is they have been there for about one week and they have eaten away all the vegetation in the canal.

Some of the manatees left the canal Friday to get some food. The grass used to grow all the way down to the water and they have eaten it all, so now the manatees either starve or venture into frigid waters.

The cold weather has left Satellite Beach with one of the hottest shows in town. Dozens of manatees crammed into the tiny canal to escape the cold weather. The sea cows drew more and more people to see them Friday, like Charles Ainsworth from London.

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"Only in captivity, never in the wild. It's amazing," Ainsworth said.

"We were just surprised that so many of them were congregating in one area," manatee-watcher Derek Hess said.

State biologists have their eye on them, too. The water coming into the canal from storm water run-off is a cozy 75 degrees, 20 degrees warmer than neighboring waterways.

Authorities have tried to keep sightseers a safe distance so they don't scare the animals.

"To be scared out of a refuge area is almost certain death, especially for the younger ones," Marine Biologist Ann Spellman said.

The small canal has never been home to so many manatees. Biologists aren't sure how long the temperature or water level is going to remain.

Biologists fear, if the cold snap doesn't end and the manatees can't maintain their diet in warmer waters, the endangered animals will lose their layer of blubber protecting them.

"They will start using body fat and that's their insulation and then they get colder and colder," Spellman said.

Marine biologists and State Fish and Wildlife officers are keeping a close eye on their condition, but that's all they can do. Rehabilitation centers like Sea World are near capacity and there are few locations to take sick manatees.

Only one manatee has died in Florida since the beginning of the year, but cold stress may not become evident until a week after a cold snap. There are a few manatees in the canal that are already showing some signs of cold stress, their skin turning a lighter gray.

Biologists say cold stress can lag about a week or more behind the cold temperatures so, even if it warms up, they are worried about whether the animals are going to survive.

There's no food left and biologists don't want people throwing food in because that could attract more manatees and lettuce or other vegetables aren't part of their natural diet. But, if they do start to show signs they are in more trouble, the state has drawn up plans for a military-style M.A.S.H. unit for manatees.

If manatees start to die, the state has plans to set up manatee triage units and take other emergency measures to try to save the endangered animals. In fact, there are some concerns the water will get too shallow and the manatees will get trapped.

The state has received permission to bring in bulldozers, if necessary, and open up the entrance to the canal just to make sure the manatees survive the ordeal.