Florida manatees face chronic welfare threats from boat propeller strikes, cold stress, and algal blooms that have caused unprecedented mortality events in recent years.
Manatee welfare reflects multiple intersecting threats operating simultaneously. Boat strikes cause acute trauma including lacerations, bone fractures, and internal injuries. Speed zones in manatee habitat reduce strike risk but enforcement is inconsistent. The 2021 mortality crisis from seagrass loss represented a new welfare emergency: manatees starved to death over weeks in a slow and painful process. Emergency feeding programmes provided lettuce to starving manatees while seagrass restoration is underway. Climate change exacerbates cold stress as power plant warm water outflows — unnatural but essential refugia — are decommissioned. Manatee welfare requires action across water quality, boat speed regulation, and climate policy simultaneously.