ZooTampa at Lowry Park sent 26 healed manatees back into Florida waters in 2025. This broke all records for the facility. But more than 620 of these marine mammals died statewide last year, and boat strikes killed 97.
“The Zoo’s David A. Straz, Jr. Manatee Critical Care Center, the largest nonprofit facility of its kind in the U.S., has cared for over 615 manatees since 1991, with the majority successfully returned to their natural habitat,” the ZooTampa spokesperson said, according to WTSP.
One rescued manatee, Mudonna, gained more than 300 pounds during her recovery. Workers found her trapped in five inches of water with no escape route and little food in November 2024. This happened weeks after Hurricanes Helene and Milton struck the state. Temperatures dropped to around 30 degrees when rescuers from Florida Fish and Wildlife, the University of Florida Marine Rescue, and the zoo team discovered her weighing just 345 pounds…