Florida manatees face ongoing welfare threats from boat strike injuries, cold stress syndrome, and habitat degradation that cause chronic pain and mortality in a recovering population.
Florida manatee welfare is challenged by both acute injuries from boat strikes and chronic habitat degradation. Animals struck by propellers suffer lacerations, broken bones, and internal injuries that cause significant pain. Those that survive with disabilities face ongoing welfare consequences. The 2021 seagrass collapse caused starvation in hundreds of animals — a slow, distressing cause of death. Protecting manatee welfare requires enforcing speed zones, investing in seagrass restoration, and providing supplemental feeding when starvation risk is acute, as was done successfully during the 2021 crisis.