But, because the internet reaches everyone, the Florida Fish and Wildlife's Internet crimes unit was able to track the video to its source after viewing it on Monday.
According to the FWC, two men have been ID'd, and investigators are considering filing charges against them, with a third also being questioned with his involvement in the stupid.
The video shows the men luring the two manatees over in a canal behind some homes, as one of them waits for the right moment to leap into the animals.
At first, just the mother is visible, swimming just below the surface, which gets the men's pants all splodey with delight and anticipation.
"It's a huge one," the one with the camera says.
But then the second manatee appears, and it's clear that it's a baby.
"Oh there's another one," the man points out, making them even more giddy, like a bunch of mindless ogres who have come across the One True Ring.
"I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna do it," the other man says, before plowing into mother and calf and cackling with delight.
Both the FWC and U.S. Fish and Wildlife are reviewing the video before deciding on whether to file charges, but it's clear that the men intended to harm the animals by treating them like wrestling dummies.
Manatees are protected under the Endangered Species Act, which is a second-degree misdemeanor with possible penalties being a fine of up to $500 or six months in jail.
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