ORLANDO, Fla. – SeaWorld Orlando is celebrating its 1,000th manatee rescue and encouraging everyone to stay mindful on the water.
Since 1976, the rescue team at SeaWorld Orlando has operated one of only three critical care facilities in the U.S. and has spent the better part of the last 50 years responding to manatees suffering from cold stress, boat strikes, entanglements, and other life-threatening situations, the theme park said in a news release. Through the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Program, SeaWorld Orlando collaborates with federal, state, and nonprofit organizations to rescue, rehabilitate, and release such manatees, the release states.
SeaWorld Orlando rescued 61 manatees in 2024 alone, noting it was able to rehabilitate and return 38 of them.
For an anecdote, the news release brings up “Churro,” a manatee who was rescued along with her mother, “Reckless,” in 2022. The pair had suffered a “catastrophic” boat strike, leaving Reckless in critical condition while Churro was only one or two days old, according to the release. The duo was released in Broward County after more than a year of extensive rehabilitation.
Over 20 months of intensive care, SeaWorld Orlando’s expert veterinary team performed 12 lifesaving procedures and provided more than 17,000 hours of specialized care to ensure the pair could be successfully returned to their natural habitat. Their story highlights the extraordinary efforts SeaWorld Orlando undertakes to save individual animals while contributing to the long-term survival of the species.
SeaWorld Orlando | "SeaWorld Orlando Reaches Historic Milestone with 1,000th Manatee Rescue, Reinforcing Decades of Dedication to Animal Rescue, Rehabilitation and Return" (excerpt)
The last Wednesday in March (today) is Manatee Appreciation Day. As much was mentioned in social media messaging Wednesday from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which announced the manatee “unusual mortality event” along Florida’s Atlantic coast “is now officially closed.”
The elevated mortality rates decreased three years ago and since then, manatees have continued to show signs of recovery.
This closure does not negate the unprecedented loss of manatees, and while habitat restoration continues, there is still work to be done. We will continue working closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to evaluate and report on the information that has been collected from this event, as well as continue to monitor manatee populations, respond to distressed animals through rescue and rehabilitation, and support habitat restoration efforts.
FWC on X - March 26, 2025 (excerpt)
[RELATED: Florida manatee deaths halved; calf mortality rises]
To date, in more than 60 years, SeaWorld Rescue Teams worldwide have aided over 41,000 sick, injured and orphaned animals in need, the release states.
Readers are encouraged to report distressed and stranded animals to the proper authorities.
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