Florida was devastated by two direct hits from hurricanes this fall.
Residents are still picking up the pieces after the destruction.
And Florida wildlife officials made one scary discovery left behind by the hurricane.
Juvenile manatee found in a pond after Hurricane Helene
Hurricane Helene slammed into the Big Bend region of Florida’s Gulf Coast at the end of September.
The Category 4 hurricane brought record storm surge up and down the Gulf Coast.
An unexpected traveler was carried in with the storm surge to a small pond in Dixie County, Florida.
A hunter stumbled upon a two-year-old manatee that weighed nearly 500 pounds around the Big Bend Wildlife Management Area.
He called Florida wildlife officials who named the young manatee Gully.
Gully was at least a mile and a half from any source of open water.
The small pond did not have enough food for the manatee to eat so it was emaciated when rescuers with ZooTampa’s Manatee Rescue Team found it.
Rescuers suspected that the storm surge carried Gully to the pond and left him trapped there when the water receded.
“This region sustained significant storm surge flooding in late September due to Hurricane Helene, which is likely how the manatee ended up so far from open water,” ZooTampa said in a statement. “Manatees that are displaced by storm surge waters often remain in unusual locations with limited food sources after the surge recedes.”
The pond where Gully was found was not far from where Hurricane Helene made landfall in Perry, Florida.
Rescuers decided to transport him more than 150 miles to ZooTampa to nurse him back to health.
Gully will be released back into the wild once he is finished his specialized care by the zoo’s Manatee Rescue Team.
ZooTampa director of communications Sandra Morrison said that the juvenile manatee is on the road to recovery.
“He’s being tube-fed twice a day, and he’s starting to show some interest in food,” Morrison said.
Manatees eat seagrass and other aquatic vegetation.
A local resident fed Gully lettuce until he was rescued.
“He’s doing better,” Morrison added.
A typical fully grown adult manatee can weigh up to 1,000 pounds and is up to 10 feet long, snout to tail.
They can reside in fresh or saltwater in Florida’s rivers, springs, and coastal waters.
Florida’s hurricanes displaced alligators and snakes
A manatee is harmless to humans but the storm surge for Hurricanes Helene and Milton brought some deadlier animals inland to residential areas in Florida.
Snakes and alligators that were displaced by storm surge were found in neighborhoods and in some cases people’s homes.
“Some wildlife, such as alligators, snakes, and bears are more likely to be seen after a storm. Be aware, keep your distance, and give all wild animals space,” the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission warned after Hurricane Milton.
Jen Messer found an alligator in her home gym after the storm in the Tampa area.
“He made a trip over the treadmill, got his cardio in for a second, and then he meandered out underneath my truck,” Messer told NBC News.
She managed to lead the gator off into a nearby pond.
“We directed him, but he was not that happy about it. He did take a big chomp out of our broom. It was a wild day,” Messer added.
The storm surge resulting from a hurricane can bring all sorts of unexpected visitors.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this story.
