Brevard Zoo prepares to open new manatee rehabilitation center

The Brevard Zoo is nearing completion of its new manatee rehabilitation center.

Rehab center hopes to accept patients by late March

What we know:

The Brevard Zoo is close to completing a new manatee rehabilitation center designed to help non-critical manatee patients recover. The center includes three tanks that can hold up to 10 manatees and a refrigerator stocked with lettuce for their dietary needs.

The facility was funded by a grant from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and is expected to welcome its first patients by late March or early April. The center was created in response to an "unusual mortality event" among manatees caused by a seagrass loss in the Indian River Lagoon.

What we don't know:

Specific details about how the rehabilitation process works, or the medical care manatees will receive at the facility has not yet been detailed. The exact number of manatees that might need rehabilitation as a result of the ongoing seagrass loss and other environmental factors is also unknown, as this is an ongoing crisis in Florida.

The backstory:

Manatees in Central Florida have been struggling with the loss of seagrass in the Indian River Lagoon, their primary food source. 

The Brevard Zoo created this new rehabilitation center to respond to the rising number of manatee mortalities and rescues linked to this environmental crisis.

What they're saying:

"In 2021, what we call an unusual mortality event started for manatees because of the Indian River lagoon losing seagrass, which is their main food source. So we wanted to answer the call and help with all of the manatee  Mortalities and rescues that were happening," explained Kylie Lawson with the Brevard Zoo.

Big picture view:

The new center reflects ongoing efforts to protect and rehabilitate manatees, which is considered a vital marine species ih Florida that plays an important role in the local ecosystem. This initiative is part of a broader environmental response to the manatee population's decline in the region, where human impact and habitat degradation are major concerns.

Timeline:

The rehabilitation center is nearing completion, with plans to begin accepting patients by late March or early April.

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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Brevard Zoo and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

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