Record-Breaking Year for Manatee Rescue
2025 proved to be a landmark year for one of Florida’s leading manatee rescue organizations. ZooTampa successfully released 26 rehabilitated manatees back into Florida waters—the most in the zoo’s history.
The milestone highlights the zoo’s vital role in protecting this iconic species and its central place within Florida’s manatee rescue network.
The Challenges Manatees Face
These gentle marine mammals are a symbol of Florida’s waterways, yet they remain vulnerable to boat collisions and habitat loss. Each year, dozens of injured or displaced manatees are rescued by organizations like ZooTampa.
Since opening in 1991, the zoo’s David Straz Jr. Manatee Critical Care Center—the largest nonprofit facility of its kind in the U.S.—has cared for more than 615 manatees, the majority of which have been successfully returned to their natural habitats.
A Dedicated Team and Costly Program
ZooTampa’s manatee rescue, rehabilitation, and release program costs $2 million annually. It relies on a skilled team of veterinarians, including two US Fish and Wildlife Service-certified manatee critical care vets, along with animal care professionals.
The program’s importance is underscored by Florida’s 2025 manatee mortality statistics: over 620 manatees died, including 97 from boat strikes alone.
A New Facility for 2026
In spring 2026, ZooTampa will open the Straz Family Manatee Rescue, a state-of-the-art center that will allow visitors immersive, eye-level underwater views of manatees and the zoo’s ongoing rescue efforts.
Visitors will be able to watch life-saving care in five critical care pools, where adjustable floors allow staff to treat manatees out of the water. Additionally, two naturalistic rehabilitation pools will let guests observe manatees as they prepare for release back into the wild.