Manatees and dugongs are large, slow-moving marine herbivores. Captive welfare requires warm water, abundant vegetation and careful handling to prevent cold stress and injury.
Manatee welfare in captivity centres on thermal management and dietary provision. Cold stress syndrome is a genuine emergency for manatees exposed to temperatures below their tolerance threshold — rescue operations in Florida during cold snaps involve moving hundreds of animals to warm water refugia. Captive facilities must maintain warm water year-round and provide the enormous quantities of vegetation required to sustain these large herbivores. Dugongs have proven so difficult to maintain in captivity that they are rarely held, with most welfare effort focused on wild population protection. The welfare of both species is best served by protecting warm, clear, seagrass-rich marine habitats from boat strikes, pollution and climate-driven warming.