PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The Clearwater Marine Aquarium is getting ready to open up a brand new manatee rehabilitation center.
This comes as aquarium leaders say they are consistently receiving calls about injured manatees.
Neil and Loretta Brace-Girdle come to Florida every few years. They said they love to see the manatees.
“They are special animals, they are so gentle, they are just amazing creatures to watch. I feel relaxed when I watch them," said Loretta Brace-Girdle.
They said manatee health should be a priority.
“It’s very important for this area to kind of keep the wildlife in as best possible shape as they can be," said Neil Brace-Girdle.
“Manatees get hit by boats, they succumb to red tide, and over the past couple of years, though its improving now, we've had manatees that have had to be rescued because of environmental changes on the East Coast of Florida," said Dr. James Powell, the Chief Zoological Officer at Clearwater Marine Aquarium.
Dr. Powell said when a manatee is injured, employees are only able to help transport manatees to another location for rehabilitation.
“Sadly, we may get a call about a manatee needing rescue every week or every couple of weeks," said Dr. Powell.
But now the Clearwater Marine Aquarium will soon be able to help manatees right on site, with a brand new rehabilitation center.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium officials said the new rehabilitation center can hold up to at least six manatees. Employees will help the manatees recover and then release them back into the wild.
Workers are currently building the pools and medical centers for the manatees, and Dr. Powell said the new facility will make a big difference.
“What we do that’s good for manatees is also good for ourselves too because it’s protecting this resource we have in terms of our beautiful waters in Florida," said Dr. Powell.
The aquarium is also opening a rehabilitation center in Belize, after reports of many manatees getting injured by boats in the area.
Aquarium leaders say the rehabilitation center in Clearwater will be finished in April and workers will break ground on the Belize center this Summer.
“We want our grandchildren to be able to see these animals. We want them to have the joy we feel when we see them so that’s important," said Loretta Brace-Girdle.
