Yesterday, in celebration of Manatee Appreciation Day, SeaWorld Orlando opened Manatee Rehabilitation, an area for park guests to see the behind-the-scenes rescue and rehabilitation work SeaWorld does to help save wild manatees. Manatee Rehabilitation allows park guests to step into a working wild manatee acute care facility, come face-to-face with animals that have been ill or injured, and follow their journey to recovery.
Behind-the-scenes of the SeaWorld theme park is a bustling, 5-acre Rescue Center used for rehabilitating rescued wildlife. While a guided tour of the entire facility has been available for years, with ten percent of the cost donated to helping wildlife, the park has now opened up sections of the manatee rehabilitation area for complimentary viewing to all guests.
Visitors are invited to step behind-the-scenes and catch a glimpse of SeaWorld’s working manatee rescue and rehabilitation facility to learn more about the plight of these vulnerable animals in the wild. Park guests can see firsthand the top problems today’s manatee populations are facing and learn simple actions to help. In addition to viewing the animals currently undergoing rehabilitation, guests can also see their digital medical charts, interactive exhibits, an underwater viewing camera and videos of the SeaWorld Animal Rescue Team in action.
SeaWorld hopes to generate awareness and educate visitors on their simple mission, to return every manatee they successfully rehabilitate back to the wild. Guests now have the opportunity to explore this working facility and become inspired through the stories of recently rescued manatees; guests can even follow their journey back to the ocean.
The team works closely with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to determine when a manatee is ready to be returned as well as the proper time and location.
This opportunity is one of the first steps in the company’s vision to “turn the park inside out” and show guests how the company is helping wild animals in need.
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