Thanks to a $100,000 grant from our Foundation, Clearwater Marine Aquarium was able to open its new Manatee Critical Care Rehabilitation Center, an essential resource in the fight to save our sea cows.
Manatees face a host of threats, from habitat loss to red tide events and boat strikes, but perhaps the most pressing danger in recent years has been starvation due to the decline of seagrasses, their primary food source. In 2021 alone, over 1,100 manatees died, many from starvation in an Unexpected Mortality Event (UME). To help combat starvation, FWC and USFWS organized an unprecedented feeding trial, presenting wild manatees with hundreds of pounds of locally grown lettuce. Our Foundation, thanks to hundreds of donors and businesses across the globe, footed the majority of the grocery bill.
Despite the success of the feeding in preventing starvation, many manatees are still in need of rescue year round. Due to their size, it takes highly specialized care to rehabilitate manatees and many need ample time to regain their strength, resulting in limited space at approved critical care rehabilitation centers across the state. This can mean manatees rescued in the state of Florida may be shipped to centers much further away, sometimes as far as Ohio.
In April 2023, CMA broke ground on a new Manatee Critical Care and Rehabilitation Facility. The facility features two specialized pools, including one for critical care. The $100,000 grant from our Foundation was vital to completing this state-of-the-art facility, including cutting-edge technologies like ozone treatment and hydraulic lift pool bottoms. Lift pools make it easier for caregivers to administer medications or conduct procedures, and most importantly reduce stress on the animals.
CMA welcomed its first two patients, Yeti and Zamboni, in July 2024. Both manatees were rescued due to cold stress in Citrus County and Pinellas County respectively. They received critical care at ZooTampa at Lowry Park before being transferred to CMA for continued rehabilitation.
CMA’s expanded capacity for manatee care couldn’t come at a better time. With threats like seagrass loss, red tide, and cold stress continuing to plague their population, the new rehabilitation center will provide much-needed space to nurse animals back to health.
In addition to funding rescue and rehabilitation efforts like those at CMA, habitat restoration is at the forefront of our priorities. Our Foundation has raised more than $2 million to replant seagrass and eelgrass across the state, including eight planting sites in the epicenter of the UME in the Indian River Lagoon.
With our support and CMA’s expertise, Florida’s manatees have a fighting chance to thrive once more. Join the fight to save Florida’s iconic sea cows.
