ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The SeaWorld theme park in Orlando is opening new pools to care for Florida manatees that are dying because of starvation due to poor water quality in their normal habitats.
The lovable, round-tailed marine mammals had their worst die-off last year; and there are federal and state efforts ongoing to save them.
Among them is having the marine asset-rich SeaWorld provide rehabilitation to those that can be rescued.
SeaWorld announced Friday that it has added five 40-foot pools to accommodate up to 20 manatees within two weeks.
The theme park is one of five facilities in the U.S. taking care of sick and injured manatees, with already 28 sea cows in its care as of Friday, according to The Associated Press.
“We are bringing animals in that are skeletons. These animals need long-term care,” Jon Peterson, chief of zoological operations at SeaWorld, wrote in a statemen to the AP.
"We’ve got the space. We will continue to use that space."
The recent frigid temperatures that have swept through parts of the Sunshine State are leading to a rise in manatee deaths, and experts say they expect numbers to remain high for the duration of winter.
Manatee Research Scientist Martine de Wit says the winter weather the state has seen since mid-January is typical for Florida; but cold temperatures paired with the sea cows' sub-optimal nutrition is leading to a rise in deaths.
So far, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports 97 manatee deaths for 2022. While not every death is tied to starvation, experts say it is the leading cause.
