Manatees require specialized care in captivity and face unique welfare challenges related to thermoregulation, social needs, and rehabilitation for wild release.
Manatee welfare in captivity centers primarily on rehabilitation with conservation outcomes rather than permanent display. The welfare of injured manatees in rehabilitation facilities depends on appropriate thermal management, pain control for traumatic injuries (most commonly propeller strikes), and nutritional support. The tension between providing enriching human contact for animal wellbeing during recovery and maintaining wild wariness for successful release is a genuine welfare challenge. Manatees that become too human-habituated face increased boat strike risk upon release. Facilities like the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership have developed protocols that balance welfare during confinement with behavioral preservation for wild survival — representing best practice in conservation-oriented wildlife care.