The Brevard Zoo has made a significant expansion to its conservation efforts with the opening of a new Manatee Rehabilitation Center, complete with the welcoming of its first residents, named Churro and Randa. According to Viera Voice, the facility is equipped with advanced technology to care for up to six manatees. These individuals are stable but non-critical, requiring extra monitoring, a bit of weight gain, or simply better release conditions.
In terms of advanced features, the center boasts walk-in coolers for storing manatee diets, life support systems for pool maintenance, and 24/7 monitoring cameras – all designed to create the optimal environment for these gentle sea cows. The need for such a center has been exacerbated by an alarming increase in manatee mortalities, particularly due to human-induced algal blooms that have destroyed their natural food source, seagrass, in the Indian River Lagoon, as detailed by WFTV.
The issue became so dire that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared an Unusual Mortality Event back in March 2021, highlighting the critical state of the manatee population. Meanwhile, the Brevard Zoo's Restore Our Shores team is tackling the root of the problem by attempting to rejuvenate the seagrass beds in the Indian River Lagoon through pilot planting and the development of two nurseries, according to the Brevard Zoo's announcement.
Zooming in on the center's initial patients, Churro has seen some hard times. Rescued by FWC and partners after her mother was struck by a vessel, the manatee's recovery was touch-and-go for a while. Churro was later released with her mother, Reckless, who swam away shortly after. The youngster found its way back to human care, this time at the Brevard Zoo's facility, after losing weight in the wild. Now that Churro has reached the target weight of 600 pounds, it is slated for release soon. Her companion, Randa, rescued from cold stress, will likely spend the winter gaining strength before being eventually released, as the pair have become cockpit companions in recovery.
