Local authorities and animal rescue teams worked for hours to rescue 19 manatees who swam into a Satellite Beach, Florida, storm drain and got stuck Monday.

The rescue effort captured national attention as crews removed drain covers and used construction equipment, fire engines and even a truck ladder to rescue the manatees trapped in the city's drainage system. Rescuers worked through the night using fire truck headlights to see. A sling attached to a backhoe was used to lift many manatees out of the drain. The drain pipe also had to be cut, reports Bay News 9.

The last of the giant marine mammals was pulled from the drainage pipe just after 1:45 a.m. Tuesday.

Rescuers said manatee No. 15 was one of the largest and nearly fell back into the pipe when lifted out. Manatee No. 13 started thrashing during rescue efforts, almost knocking down a rescuer. No. 16 was described as a "feisty one" as well.

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