Amazing team work: the rescue of a 410 pound manatee ( sea cow) trapped in a storm drain in Florida seeking warmer water after recent cold temperatures ( photos and videos)

This photo provided by Brevard County Fire Rescue shows members of Brevard County Fire Rescue helping rescue a manatee that was stuck in a storm drain on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 in Melbourne Beach, Fla. Brevard County Fire Rescue via AP

A manatee was rescued after it was trapped in a Florida storm drain while seeking warmer waters after recent cold temperatures.

Multiple fire rescue units and officials were brought in Tuesday to get the 410-pound sea cow out of the storm drain, designed to collect trash and debris.

Brevard County Fire Rescue (BCFR) said it “took a village to free the sea cow,” including “BCFR’s stations 48 and 64, Indiatlantic Fire Rescue, Melbourne Beach FD, University of Florida’s Veterinary Emergency Treatment Services, FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission), Public Works, and Jack’s Wrecker Service.”

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This photo provided by Brevard County Fire Rescue shows members of Brevard County Fire Rescue helping rescue a manatee that was stuck in a storm drain on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 in Melbourne Beach, Fla. Brevard County Fire Rescue via AP

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This photo provided by Brevard County Fire Rescue shows members of Brevard County Fire Rescue helping rescue a manatee that was stuck in a storm drain on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 in Melbourne Beach, Fla. Brevard County Fire Rescue via AP

View image in full screen

This photo provided by Brevard County Fire Rescue shows members of Brevard County Fire Rescue helping rescue a manatee that was stuck in a storm drain on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 in Melbourne Beach, Fla. Brevard County Fire Rescue via AP

A worker with Melbourne Beach first spotted the manatee, according to Melbourne Beach Vice-Mayor Terry Cronin.

2:10Florida group racing to save manatees as deaths rise at alarming rate

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said that during the initial onsite assessment, responders noted that the male manatee “was underweight and had multiple open wounds on his underside near the tail and flippers.”

“The good news: the manatee showed interest in food during his first night in care, which is an encouraging sign,” they added.

The manatee is now recovering at SeaWorld Orlando after the co-ordinated rescue effort.

“When we say our SeaWorld Rescue team is always on-call, we mean it. Monday in the late evening, we received a call about a manatee who was trapped in a ‘baffle box’ underground and was rescued through a multi-agency effort, including our partners at @myFWC. Our team was then ready to receive this over 400 pound manatee for expert care and rehabilitation,” SeaWorld Orlando wrote in a post on Instagram.

The animal theme park said the “gentle giant is showing positive signs of recovery,” like “moving independently, breathing on his own, and showing interest in food.”

“We’re optimistic about his future and grateful to play a critical part in his journey,” SeaWorld Orlando added.

The protected species is still recovering from a mass starvation event. In 2021, officials recorded more than 1,100 manatee deaths, mostly caused by starvation. The state’s fish and wildlife agency said deaths have gone down significantly, with 565 deaths recorded in 2024 and 555 in 2023.

This isn’t the first time a manatee has been stuck in a storm drain in Florida.

In 2015, rescuers worked late into the night to free at least 19 manatees who were stuck in a storm drain in Satellite Beach and returned to the Indian River Lagoon System.

1:23Manatee rescued from storm drain in Florida

 

In Defense of Animals USA, the 10 worst zoos for elephants: for female zoo elephants breeding is a punishment, Chai, at Woodland Park Zoo Seattle, endured 112 brutal insemination attempts and when all failed was shipped to St Louis Zoo

 https://www.idausa.org/campaign/elephants/10-worst-zoos-for-elephants-2025

Tulsa Zoo

When Packy was born at the Oregon Zoo in 1962, he was the first elephant calf born in North America in over 40 years. His birth skyrocketed ticket sales and triggered a nationwide breeding frenzy. Today, a new baby boom is in full swing, with 12 calves born in 2025 alone, luring in unsuspecting visitors by the millions. 

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TWZ Hall of Shame - Oregon Zoo

But zoo baby fever is a sickness that plunges elephant lives into tragedy. Each new calf draws crowds, but behind the smiles and photo ops lies a cycle of exploitation, heartbreak, and death.

Zoo-born elephants are twice as likely to die as wild-born calves before age 2. Source: In Defense of Animals analysis; Turkalo et al. 

One in four elephants born in zoos dies before age 5 — a rate far surpassing wild mortality. By age 2, the death rate for zoo calves is double that of the wild, even though captives are protected from drought, predation, and poaching.

Visitors pay to watch playful youngsters, while older elephants sway from zoochosis caused by brain damage, shuffle with crippling osteoarthritis, and are dosed with painkillers for incurable, often fatal foot disease. A data review by In Defense of Animals found that over a third of elephants born in zoos since 2004 have died prematurely. Most captive-born elephants fail to reach even half of their natural life expectancy.

Independent studies consistently show that elephants in zoos suffer persistent, chronic health and psychological problems, even at facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA). Breeding underpins, perpetuates, and causes it. A new report exposes the devastating results of captive breeding worldwide.

Bred to Breaking Point

Zoos increasingly rely on artificial insemination, an invasive procedure forced on females again and again. It produces three times as many males, who are notoriously difficult to manage in captivity and lead some of the most tormented, tragic lives in zoos. 

Males are shipped between zoos to breed, which traumatically breaks bonds with friends and family. This shuffling increases mortality by 50 percent. 

For females, zoo breeding is a miserable punishment. Chai, at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, endured 112 brutal insemination attempts — often tightly restrained with chains or in an “iron maiden”. All failed, so she was shipped to Dickerson Park Zoo in St Louis to mate with a live bull, despite the risk of contracting deadly elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV). She returned pregnant, but her baby was infected and died at six years old.

Rare documentary footage shows one zoo’s distressing birthing process in 2012. Chained elephants give birth onto concrete, and the stricken mothers are immediately separated from their newborns.

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Too Young To Breed, Too Young To Die

Zoos are so desperate to have babies that the AZA allows females to be bred as early as 8 years old, far younger than 12-14 years old which is typical in the wild. 

The pace is relentless. In the wild, mothers wait four to six years between calves. In zoos, some are impregnated within a year of giving birth.

Male elephants in zoos enter musth as young as 11 years old, when wild bulls commonly enter sexual maturity in their 20s or 30s. 

The relentless demand and stress of captivity causes miscarriages, stillbirths, and deadly diseases like EEHV. 

Zoos mislead the public by claiming EEHV is found equally in the wild. In truth, it is not a threat to wild elephants, but in zoos, it kills. Breeding spreads the virus from zoo to zoo as elephants are traded on breeding loans. 

A few zoos are testing an experimental vaccine, but even if it works, it would only prolong the suffering of elephants kept in unnatural conditions that make the disease deadly in the first place. While zoos highlight dangers elephants face in the wild, zoos themselves are far more deadly to elephants.

Breeding for Commerce, Not Conservation

No elephant born in a North American zoo has ever been released to the wild. The AZA’s Species Survival Plan (SSP) is not a conservation program, but an attempt to maintain a fresh supply of elephant prisoners for zoos. The SSP leaves a trail of dead infants and traumatized parents in its wake. 

Captive breeding funds a conservation con that diverts millions of dollars toward zoo infrastructure and away from genuine efforts to protect wild elephants where they live.

A Better Way Forward

In 2025, the Louisville Zoo made the compassionate choice to close its exhibit and retire its last two elephants to sanctuary, earning our deep gratitude and Path to Progress designation. More than 40 North American zoos have already shuttered their elephant exhibits. We hope more follow this progressive path.

10 Worst Zoos 2024:

1. Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Los Angeles, California
2. Bronx Zoo, Bronx, New York
3. Edmonton Valley Zoo, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
4. Cameron Park Zoo, Waco, Texas
5. Two Tails Ranch, Williston, Florida
6. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Colorado Springs, Colorado
7. Topeka Zoo & Conservation Center, Topeka, Kansas
8. Little Rock Zoo, Little Rock, Arkansas
9. Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Cincinnati, Ohio
10. Phoenix Zoo, Phoenix, Arizona

Path to Progress Award: Oakland Zoo, Oakland, California

PRESS RELEASE : The Dutch Society for Protection of Animals under fire for giving 'euthanasia instructions' of Scottish Folds cats (read why)

 

'euthanasia instructions' of Scottish Folds

AMSTERDAM, February 12, 2026 – Animal welfare organization House of Animals says it is shocked by an internal work instruction from the Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals stating that shelters are no longer allowed to accept Scottish Fold cats and that stray animals of this breed will be euthanized after a 14-day "retention period," regardless of their condition.  Karen Soeters of House of Animals finds it unacceptable that the Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals is so ruthlessly closing the door on all these cats. "Refusing to take these animals encourages people to find other ways to dispose of them. There's a transitional arrangement for these animals for a reason, and they shouldn't be treated differently than any other animal. Not every Scottish Fold experiences the same level of pain. It's up to a veterinarian to assess each individual animal's level of unbearable suffering." Ban on keeping Since January 1, 2026, a ban on keeping Scottish Folds, cats with the characteristic folded ears, has been in effect. These folded ears are the result of a hereditary cartilage defect that can lead to painful osteoarthritis and joint problems. A breeding ban for the breed has been in place since 2014. The internal instructions, which, according to House of Animals, were drafted by a veterinarian from the Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals, state, among other things, that every Scottish Fold that arrives at a Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals shelter "will be euthanized after the statutory retention period of 14 days, regardless of condition or approachability." Illegal killing Former veterinarian Paul Bours, who worked in companion animal practice for twelve years and served as a senior policy officer for animal welfare at the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality for over twenty years, also expressed reservations about the instruction. "The routine killing of animals after a retention period of 14 days due to a hereditary condition, regardless of their condition or approachability, is prohibited by law if the preconditions set out in Article 1.10 of the Decree on Animal Keepers are not met. Euthanasia may only take place in cases of unbearable suffering. If this requirement is not met, the killing is illegal and ethically reprehensible." Unrest among asylum workers According to House of Animals, several shelter staff members of the Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals were shocked by the instructions and have expressed their concerns. Veterinarians have also reportedly indicated they do not want to cooperate with such a policy. According to Soeters, the work instructions do not differentiate between individual animals. "It states that these cats suffer constant pain due to serious abnormalities. That doesn't necessarily apply to every Scottish Fold, and certainly not to the same degree. Only unbearable suffering should be grounds for euthanasia, not the fact that an animal belongs to a particular breed." Call for Adaptation House of Animals says it has sought dialogue with the Animal Protection Association and expects that the work instructions will be fundamentally amended immediately. Karen Soeters: "A message must be sent immediately to the thirty animal protection shelters to prevent irreversible decisions from being made based on the previous work instructions. As far as I understand, that hasn't happened yet. It's incomprehensible anyway that a separate protocol is being drawn up for Scottish Folds."   -END PRESS RELEASE-

Scottishfold | © House of Animals

Scottishfold | © House of Animals

Annually In Costa Rica 100 monkeys are burned due to unsafe electrical infrastructure: after thousands of people signed a petition the courts are punishing the companies responsable

 

All the latest from Costa Rica | View this email in your browser.

We have encouraging news for you, in what is a significant step in our fight against wildlife electrocutions in Costa Rica. Monkey electrocuted Last year, our #EstoNoEsPuraVida petition was launched to confront this national crisis of unsafe electrical infrastructure threatening wildlife. As we mobilised a wider coalition with charities and rescue centres across the country, thousands of people like you signed this petition demanding change. We have worked tirelessly to call for the enforcement of existing wildlife laws, and to hold electrical companies to account. This is vital to make necessary changes to prevent poor, innocent animals from being electrocuted every single day - and finally, our efforts are starting to pay off.

With a legal team, we recently filed a motion to the courts in Costa Rica, that MINAE (Ministry of Electricity) and ICE (state owned electric company) are in breach of the Constitution of Costa Rica, specifically Article 50: The Right to a Healthy and Ecologically Balanced Environment.    They now have six months to comply with this court order, which includes addressing the vast amount of uninsulated power lines throughout Nosara, and failure to rectify this will result in further punishment; which could include further fines and possibly even imprisonment. Both companies will also be paying costs and damages, and we're hopeful that these safety changes will be rolled out to the rest of Costa Rica in due course.

This is a big win in our fight to protect innocent wildlife, and keeping their natural habitats safe – and we’re so thankful for all of your support!

EVEN MORE EXCITING NEWS!

We have more exciting news to share with you from Costa Rica! We’re extremely proud to announce that our rehabilitation and release centre and sanctuary in Nosara has now been accredited by GFAS (Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries)! GFAS sets standards of care for animal sanctuaries around the world, and we’re delighted that all of our hard work has been recognised in being awarded Accredited status.

Kristin Leppert, GFAS Program Director-Wildlife said: “IAR Costa Rica reached out to us early in the process of building their new facility as they were committed to delivering the highest standards of animal care and they have made good on that goal. As the ongoing crisis of howler monkey electrocutions continues without abatement, IAR Costa Rica is needed more than ever.”

None of this would have been possible without the support of people like you, our amazing supporters – thank you so much!

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