A Boat-Struck 575-Pound Manatee Rescued in the Florida Keys Is Now in Rehab at SeaWorld Orlando
A 575-pound male manatee with boat-strike injuries and severe malnutrition was rescued in Islamorada, in the Florida Keys, on October 21 and transferred to SeaWorld Orlando for rehabilitation, the Florida Keys Free Press reported on November 5.
The Dolphin Research Center rescue team with the 575-pound manatee on land after his rescue, before he was transported to SeaWorld Orlando. Photo: Dolphin Research Center, via Florida Keys Free Press
From the Keys to Orlando
The rescue was carried out by Dolphin Research Center, which, according to the Free Press, is the only group in the Keys licensed to rescue manatees. Its team brought the manatee in to be checked by the center's full-time veterinarian, who decided he needed intensive care.
Zoo Miami helped while he waited to be moved. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission then transported him to SeaWorld Orlando, where the park's veterinary and rehabilitation staff will keep watch on both his wounds and his nutrition. The Free Press report does not give the manatee a name or say how long his recovery is expected to take.
Dolphin Research Center kayakers corral the manatee during the rescue. Photo: Dolphin Research Center, via Florida Keys Free Press
The message from the rescuers
The Free Press noted that boat strikes are still one of the biggest dangers manatees face in Florida, and boaters are being asked to ease off the throttle, obey posted speed zones and keep an eye out for the animals.
Dolphin Research Center also warned against feeding or watering wild manatees. "People also need to understand that feeding or watering wild manatees is not helping them," said Allie Proskovec, the center's director of media and marketing. She explained that handouts can change how the animals behave and encourage them to linger in busy boating areas, where a strike is more likely. "It is also illegal to feed or provide water to wild manatees," she said.
Anyone who sees a manatee in distress can report it to the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922).
This manatee is not the first from SeaWorld Orlando's rehab program in the news this fall. Just last month we reported that a manatee named Southpaw, who lost a flipper to a crab trap, is expected to make a full recovery at SeaWorld Orlando and be releasable.
Sources
- Boat-struck, malnourished manatee rescued; rehab underway, Florida Keys Free Press, November 5, 2026
Image credits: Both photos by Dolphin Research Center, via Florida Keys Free Press.
