The welfare and conservation challenges facing manatees, large aquatic herbivores threatened by boat strikes, habitat loss, and climate-related food shortages.
Manatee welfare and conservation are deeply intertwined. Boat strike injuries — propeller lacerations and blunt trauma — cause acute suffering and may leave survivors with chronic pain, disfigurement, or impaired movement. Cold stress syndrome causes progressive hypothermia and organ failure in manatees trapped in cold water. Toxic algal bloom events cause respiratory distress, seizures, and death. Even manatees that survive these events may carry lasting physical and neurological damage. The recent mass mortality events in Florida, linked to loss of seagrass food sources due to water quality degradation, represent both a conservation crisis and a welfare catastrophe — animals dying of malnutrition in waters that once supported them. Addressing manatee welfare requires both emergency response capacity and long-term habitat restoration.