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(calm music)

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- [Narrator] Meet Hamilton, the manatee.

Despite his wrinkles, these are still just pictures

of baby Hamilton.

Hamilton lives in a place where

others like to go on vacation.

Florida's West Coast.

He commutes between the Gulf of Mexico

and the inland rivers.

The fact that he has an official name

indicates that's he's had his share of bad luck.

Only manatees with a dramatic life story

are given a name.

His habitat looks like a paradise,

but surviving here isn't all that easy.

In western Florida, it's hard to say where the ocean ends

and the rivers begin.

The ebb and flow of the tides have created

a flowing landscape here in which

everything merges together.

This is home to a great number of animal species.

The largest among them is also the most gentle.

They're called West Indian manatees,

also known as sea cows.

Hamilton's story begins in the murky waters

of the tidal current long before his birth.

Manatees have to eat a tenth of their body weight

every day.

Sometimes that takes up to 60 kilos of plants,

which can take them almost all day.

This female doesn't know that today her life

will change forever.

Scientists have marked this male.

They also gave H9 a real name, Mighty Baron.

Mighty Baron is in high spirits,

but it's not only Mighty Baron in spring fever.

He's joined by some of the other males.

They follow Hamilton's mother to be,

who is not particularly enamored by the attention

of her followers.

The males compete for her attention

in typical manatee manner.

Lots of pushing and shoving, almost in slow motion.

But it's also hard work.

The mating ritual can last up to two weeks.

The female will only choose her partner

when there is more than one male to court her.

It's the testosterone in the water

that triggers her.

And it seems that Mighty Baron is the lucky one.

Mating itself can take hours.

It's a game of skill for both partners.

With bodies weighing up to 600 kilograms,

the whole operation has to be maneuvered very precisely.

After mating successfully,

the pregnancy can last up to 14 months.

During this time, the mother-to-be disappears

in the Gulf of Mexico.

The water is warm here, and there is plenty of food.

Instead of traveling long distances,

she tends to stay in the same area.

Her home is the section of sea between the coast

and Mangrove Islands.

The mangroves are a true blessing

for the tropical coasts.

Few habitats provide food and shelter

to so many different species of animals.

Along with coral reefs and rainforests,

they are among the most important ecosystems on the planet.

The roots of the mangroves form

a dense intertwined labyrinth underwater.

Even during hurricanes, the roots stay anchored

in the ground and protect the mainland from the wind

and the waves.

Countless species of fish live here,

including the mangrove snapper.

It's also an ideal nursery ground.

The upper floor is the kingdom of the birds.

Pelicans, cormorants, gray herons, and numerous others

nest here.

The unprecedented abundance of fish in the Gulf of Mexico

makes it an attractive breeding ground for millions

of birds.

During low tide, thousands of small sand balls

cover the beach.

They come from the fiddler crab.

Even though they're very small,

they play a huge role in the mangroves.

They suck their food out of the sand.

Algae, fungus, and microbes, and then they form small balls

from the clean sand.

Without this mass of fiddler crabs,

the mangroves would be smelling more like a musty,

death zone.

It's their minute size that makes them hesitant.

When they notice a movement,

they beat a hasty retreat.

There is always lots going on at the beach,

so the fiddler crabs lead a very busy life.

White pelicans are winter guests along Florida's coast.

They spend the summer in Canada.

They hunt in circling schools of fish,

and then scoop their prey from the water with their beaks.

(dramatic music)

The hunting technique of brown pelicans

is far more spectacular.

They home in on individual prey,

captured in a daredevil display of diving.

(dramatic music)

(birds chirp)

More than a year has passed since the mating dance

among the mangroves.

Many manatees seek out parts of the river

that have been sectioned off from boats and swimmers.

(dramatic music)

Hamilton's mother has also come here to rest.

Her pregnancy has turned her into a balloon with flippers.

And if you take a close look,

you can see Hamilton moving around inside her.

He certainly seems to have more energy than his mother.

Manatees are often considered to be cumbersome

and sluggish, but by comparison,

Hamilton's mother is practically moving in slow motion.

No manatee in the wild has ever allowed anyone

to witness the moment of birth,

and Hamilton too is born at a place and time

away from our cameras.

(birds chirp)

Then one fine day,

the mother finally has someone at her side.

The manatee guardians will later call

this little fellow Hamilton.

Like all babies, he's cautious, but also curious.

He looks into the camera somewhat suspiciously.

But after awhile, curiosity gets the better of him.

His mother thinks that's all a bit too much.

She instinctively wants to protect him.

Now, at the beginning of November,

a great adventure lies ahead.

They'll make their way to one of Florida's

natural treasures.

Deep underground, there is a huge

and very old natural freshwater reservoir.

With great pressure, millions of liters

of precious drinking water,

shoot up from the springs every day.

In the hot spring areas,

the water is an even 23 degrees Celsius

all year round.

Entire rivers source through here.

This freshwater depot beneath Florida

belongs to one of the largest in the world.

(birds chirp)

One of the most famous freshwater sources

are the Three Sisters Springs in Florida's Crystal River.

There are quite literally three spring areas,

hence the name.

(birds chirp)

The natural springs are home to many animals.

At once, the amount of fish here is astonishing.

They can find an abundance of food

because of the nutritious water.

But they are not safe from their hunters here.

(birds chirp)

(dramatic music)

(boat horn blares)

The anhinga, or snake bird, is a frequent visitor.

With it's abilities to stay underwater for long periods,

and move at speed, it's an extremely accomplished hunter.

Hardly a dive ends without success.

Snapping turtles like these young are usually well-hidden,

but this spring offers neither thick vegetation

nor mud, so it seeks shelter in a cave.

However, it should be careful in it's selection of cave.

On their quest for routes, manatees have dug caves

into the riverbank.

Some of them now have new inhabitants.

(dramatic music)

Alligators are common in Florida's waterways.

Every 20 minutes, they swim up to the surface for air.

But they usually don't stay for long.

Despite their infamy,

they're easily frightened.

Manatees come here every winter.

They're very sensitive to temperature

and die in cold water.

When the Gulf of Mexico drops below 23 degrees,

the hot springs become their refuge.

Hamilton has also survived the long hard journey.

His mother led the way,

guided by an astounding sense of direction,

and her finely tuned receptors for the heat

and flow of the currents.

Before her, her mother came here.

The knowledge is passed down the generations.

Swimming against the current is exhausting for Hamilton.

No wonder he's hungry.

Manatees' teats are located near their armpits.

But right now, Hamilton's mother

has other things on her mind.

First, she'd like to find somewhere a bit quieter to rest.

They're not alone at the Three Sisters Springs.

More than 600 manatees have made their way to the area

this year.

They're worn out from the long journey.

Some of them suffering from the stress of the cold.

Hamilton and his mother have finally found

a nice place to rest.

Now, it's time to sleep and recharge the batteries.

The temperature here is a life-saving heat.

Though sea cows look fat,

they don't have any insulating blubber.

So, they can easily freeze under their thin layer of skin.

Even worse, when it's cold, they get something akin to

freeze burn.

Cold water can kill them.

In some years, hundreds at a time.

If they survive the cold, there is another problem to solve.

The spring's environment does not offer enough food

for all the manatees.

This manatee nibbles on weed

that it can only reach during high tide.

Some manatees are true gourmets.

This one drinks fresh water straight from the spring.

Part of the R & R program for manatees

at Three Sisters Springs is a little peeling session.

Sunfish have set up a cleaning station

in one corner of the inlet.

They remove parasites, algae, and barnacles from

the manatee's skin.

Afterwards, the riverbed is full of dead barnacles.

While the mothers sleep, they're offspring can get

a little bored.

This young male calf is a real teenager.

He hardly knows what to do with all his strength.

If he can't manage to knock over a tree trunk,

maybe he'll try out his prowess on his mother.

He exhibits another typical sign of a full-blooded teenager,

a budding interest in the opposite sex.

Apparently some part of his mother's body

gave off a particularly enticing aroma.

Escape, it seems, is fruitless.

The teen calf stays hot on his mother's trail.

With the infinite patience of any manatee mother,

the female tolerates her son's inquisitive impulses.

Then within seconds, he reverts into a small baby

who's hungry and just wants to drink some milk.

(dramatic music)

Of course, such a warming paradise

like the Three Sisters Springs

doesn't only attract manatees in the winter.

Year after year, the animals themselves

draw in tourists.

Crystal River is an absolute exception.

No where else in the world can people experience

such a protected species so close up.

Hamilton has just woken up.

And what would any well-mannered manatee do

right after sleeping?

Brush his teeth, of course.

It's always handy to have a bearded snorkeler nearby.

The cordoned off area is reserved exclusively for manatees.

Back here, they can enjoy the heat

bubbling from the springs undisturbed.

Interesting.

There's another sea cow up there.

And one that disappears if you give it a nudge.

How strange.

It's a good thing there are some other real ones

around to play with.

(boat engine runs)

Approximately 250,000 visitors come from around the world

here every year to swim with the manatees.

Volunteers help keep watch that no one goes

into the protected areas.

The manatees know that they can find peace and quiet

behind the buoy lines.

They sleep crowded together out of range

of the snorkelers.

Unfortunately, many swimmers fail to show

a bit more respect.

This father wakes up a sleeping manatee by petting it.

Even when they're trying to find a piece of quiet,

some people can't refrain from their uninvited attention.

Hamilton and his mother have trouble avoiding

the teeming tourists.

Some manatees like having contact with humans.

Those who don't are groped and followed nonetheless.

The volunteer sanctuary guards can't be everywhere

at once.

Without realizing it, this snorkeler makes Hamilton

go into an audible panic.

(Hamilton squeals)

When trying to escape his pursuers,

Hamilton experiences the worst thing possible

for a manatee baby.

He becomes separated from his mother.

But she responds as calmly as ever,

and moves to comfort her frightened baby.

Now the swimmer gets ready to dive,

but Hamilton just wants to get away.

The two make their escape from the springs in a hurry,

but that's not such a good idea.

The region around Crystal River is a paradise

for fishers.

Manatees like to use anchoring ropes as dental floss.

Calves especially like to chew on it when they're teething.

This leaves them open to the risk

of swallowing fishing hooks.

Besides that, thousands of manatees

have already been killed or injured by the propellors

of motorboat engines.

A narrow escape.

(boat engine roars)

Fleeing from the snorkelers has taken Hamilton

and his mother into dangerous territory.

Boat owners know that manatees live around here, but still.

A few days later, Hamilton and his mother show up again.

At first glance, they both appear to be unharmed.

But then comes the shocking truth.

Hamilton was obviously hit by a boat.

There are clear marks where the propellor blades

have cut into his flesh.

There's no way of knowing it yet,

but these are the last pictures of Hamilton with his mother.

A few days later, in a residential area near the water,

a local resident discovers a dead manatee in a small bay.

It's Hamilton's mother.

What happened?

Had she been injured along with Hamilton?

Or was there another accident?

Nobody knows for sure.

Employees of the Fish and Wildlife Service

come to remove the dead animal.

- We really appreciate it.

- Need some rope, we got some rope.

- [Narrator] Manatees are deaf to the warnings

of boat engines.

And some recreational boaters take it in stride

if they kill a manatee every now and then.

Now, Hamilton has to get by on his own.

Hungrier than ever before in his life,

he tries to suckle from other mothers.

However, not all are so obliging.

Hamilton's fate doesn't go unnoticed.

Mike Dunn, a volunteer manatee rescuer,

has been watching the orphaned calf for awhile now.

Sometimes orphans can fend for themselves quite well,

but perhaps Hamilton has internal injuries.

The experts from the Fish and Wildlife Service

decide to take him out of the water.

Their plan is to separate Hamilton from the other manatees

so they can catch him with a net.

- Okay.

(people speaking in background)

- [Narrator] But the manatees now show

that they are neither slow nor stupid.

Hamilton stays close to another manatee.

When they sense the alien object, they quickly flee.

Too fast for Hamilton.

He's separated from the others.

Now, the men have to maneuver him into the net.

- [Men] Bag it, bag it, bag it, bag it!

- Excellent job.

- [Narrator] He offers hardly any resistance.

On land, manatees usually give up all resistance.

Accepting his fate, Hamilton allows them to undertake

his first examination.

- [Woman] They're bringing the truck around.

They had to move the trailer.

- Good job, guys.

Nice catch.

- [Narrator] His fresh wounds are cause for concern.

They could easily get infected.

And no one knows whether the collision with the boat

might have broken some of his ribs.

Hamilton has already had quite enough.

However, it's a blessing in disguise.

From now on, he only encounters people trying to help him.

- [Man] Watch out for his jaw.

Make sure that jaw's not cracked up.

- [Man 2] It's not, he's all right.

It's okay.

It's all right.

- [Narrator] A splash of water triggers

his breathing reflex.

- [Woman] He's not gonna breathe that quick, just hang on.

- [Narrator] Is the unfamiliar air making his eyes water?

Or can manatees shed tears?

He'd certainly have good reason to cry.

Hamilton is too small and too young to survive on his own.

He'll have to be taken to the manatee hospital.

- Watch out.

Yeah, watch yourself guys.

- [Narrator] Every year, dozens of manatees

have to go through the same procedure,

that is, if they're lucky and don't die

before they're rescued.

The first car ride in his life takes Hamilton

to the Manatee Hospital of Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa.

He will already be grown up when he leaves the hospital.

On Florida's Gulf Coast, life goes on as if nothing

had happened.

Life's every day dramas continue, both big and small.

Water spouts in the distance.

What's going on over there?

The bottle nose dolphins here have developed

some very special feeding tactics,

despite putting themselves at risk of becoming stranded

in the very shallow waters.

(water splashes)

If they can't find any fish in the water,

the dolphins scare them out of their hiding places

in the marsh grasses.

(water splashes)

Too bad.

None of the fish are falling for the trick today,

but the dolphins have refined a good back up plan.

A splash of the tail fin is the starting signal.

The dolphins use the escape instinct of their prey

against them.

Mullets instinctively jump out of the water in panic,

and that's precisely what the dolphins were counting on.

Here it is again in slow motion.

First, a dolphin swims in a circle,

stirring up a cloud of silt and air bubbles

that creates an impenetrable barrier for the fish.

One of the dolphins darts into the surrounding

school of fish, sparking up panic.

Now, they just have to improve their catching skills.

(water splashes)

No luck.

Time to let off some steam on a weaker colleague.

(water splashes)

The next attempt.

With powerful strokes, the dolphin swims around

the school of mullets, encircling them.

The mullets panic.

Again, no catch.

The pelicans know how skilled the dolphins are,

and they want a slice of the fish pie.

The dolphins are out of luck today,

but one of three pelicans will have had enough to eat.

That's why the dolphins aren't particularly impressed

with them.

(birds squawk)

A sore loser lets out his frustration on one of his

more successful comrades.

While the pelicans are quarreling,

the dolphins finally meet with a little more success.

(dramatic music)

The mullets in Three Sister Springs

lead a much less dangerous life.

Here, the manatee season is drawing to an end.

The cold winter is almost over,

and many of the manatees have already returned

to the Gulf of Mexico.

In February, the weather starts to warm up.

Some manatees remain.

Now at the source of the Three Sister Springs,

there will be a new kid on the block.

Two years have passed since Hamilton was rescued

from the springs.

Today, he's coming back.

The Sea to Shore Alliance conservation organization

has attached a satellite transmitter to him.

They'll track his movements for a year.

This once little baby has become a big strong sea cow.

He hasn't lost any of his feistiness,

and resists as best as he can.

The floor of the basin where he was treated

was lifted.

Hamilton now lies in shallow water,

so that his keepers could maneuver him into the stretcher.

Once again, Hamilton is fed up.

- [Everyone] One, two, three!

- [Narrator] One and a half hours later,

he can smell the freedom.

The hired truck takes Hamilton to his old stomping grounds,

Three Sisters Springs.

Hamilton still doesn't know what's happening to him.

He just wants to get out of here.

At first, he swims hesitantly into freedom,

slightly irritated by the amount of space.

But then he makes an incredible discovery.

Unlike in the rehabilitation tank,

here he can keep swimming straight ahead for a long time.

He's oblivious to his strange tracking device,

which for others is a little cumbersome.

Then he makes another amazing discovery.

His new old home is full of other manatees.

What looks like a happy reunion among old friends

could also be something else.

Manatees are always willing to form

a spontaneous mating herd.

But one thing's for certain.

Hamilton appears to be enjoying his newfound freedom.

Overnight, Hamilton disappears without a trace.

It takes a whole year before he reappears,

looking robust and covered in algae.

After all his painful experiences,

Hamilton tries to avoid people,

as much as that's possible in Crystal River.

His transmitter also bears the ravages of time,

but the conservationists will remove it entirely

in a few weeks.

Will he ever be found again without the satellite system?

He prefers to stay hidden in the murky depths

of the Gulf of Mexico.

Two years after Hamilton's release into the wild,

disaster strikes.

Invisible, poisonous algae, multiply rampantly

in the Gulf of Mexico.

Known as Karenia Brevis or Red Tide,

the deadly algae settles right on the plants

that sea cows like to eat.

For the animals, there's no escaping death.

They have no defenses against the toxic algae

and succumb helplessly.

That year, they die in their hundreds,

more than ever before.

And what about Hamilton?

How has he fared?

Hamilton, who has gone through so much in his short life.

(dramatic music)

It's another cold winter in Three Sisters Springs.

As always, the manatees warm up around the spring.

Will Hamilton be here as well?

He is and has survived the toxic algae bloom.

Maybe the tides have turned for him.

And after all those years of misfortune and pain,

perhaps fate has a bit of luck in store for him.

He has certainly earned it.