After a successful rehabilitation, manatee Naboo will leave Miami Seaquarium and be released back to Florida waters. In August 2017, a female manatee was rescued in the Melbourne area after being struck by a boat, causing a fractured rib and a tear in her lung. After receiving medical treatment at Miami Seaquarium for the past 4 months, both rib and lung are now healed. Naboo currently weighs approximately 900 pounds and is approximately 288 cm in length.
As part of the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP), the Miami Seaquarium is an acute care rehabilitation facility that provides life-saving medical care to rescued manatees.
The MRP is a cooperative group of non-profit, private, state, and federal entities who work together to monitor the health and survival of rehabilitated and released manatees. Information about manatees currently being tracked is available at www.wildtracks.org. The endangered Florida manatee is at risk from both natural and man-made causes of injury and mortality. Exposure to red tide, cold stress, and disease are all natural problems that can affect manatees. Human-caused threats include boat strikes, crushing by flood gates or locks, and entanglement in or ingestion of fishing gear.
If a manatee is observed in distress or a dead manatee is sighted, contact the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC.