Manatee rescue and rehabilitation programmes in Florida and beyond address the two leading human-caused threats to these gentle giants: cold stress syndrome and boat strike injuries.
Injured manatees experience significant suffering from both boat strike trauma and cold stress. Propeller wounds cause deep lacerations that can penetrate to bone — some injuries are immediately fatal, while others require months of wound management. Internal injuries from boat strike can cause chronic pain difficult to assess in a large aquatic animal. Cold-stressed manatees entering rehabilitation are hypothermic, immune-suppressed, and nutritionally depleted — recovery requires weeks of warming, hydration, and dietary support. The rehabilitation process itself involves handling, veterinary procedures, and confinement that cause stress to animals evolved for large, open water environments. Despite these challenges, successful rehabilitation and release represents the most welfare-positive outcome for animals that would otherwise die.