JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Firefighters and wildlife officials rescued a manatee Wednesday afternoon from a storm drain near the Ortega area of Jacksonville.
The rescue took place near Davinci Avenue and Ortega Boulevard.
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A city crew was doing work in the area around 8 a.m. Wednesday when the workers spotted the manatee.
Jacksonville Fire Rescue and Florida Fish and Wildlife worked for hours to cut pipes away so that the adult manatee could be pulled from the storm drain.
IMAGES: Manatee rescued from Venetia storm drain
The manatee had some scrapes and abrasions on its nose, and will be taken to SeaWorld in Orlando to be evaluated by its marine biologists.
Dozens of onlookers gathered to watch as the crews struggled to free the manatee.
The children in the neighborhood named the manatee Venetia, after the neighborhood. The firefighters were calling it Piper.