Preliminary Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission data<\/a> show 381 documented manatee deaths statewide thus far in 2026. Calf mortality accounted for 129 of those deaths, while another 94 adult manatees died from natural causes.\u00a0<\/p>\nHuman activity was responsible for 82 deaths, including 70 confirmed watercraft collisions, and another 76 deaths remained under investigation or could not be fully classified.<\/p>\n
In Pinellas County, 16 manatee deaths were documented during the same period, including four confirmed boat strikes.<\/p>\n
Persky said those statistics represent individual animals much like the calf rescued in St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he\u2019s a perfect example \u2026 a representative of the species,\u201d she said. \u201cHis impact on the people that were involved in his rescue, on everyone that was calling to check in on him \u2026 he\u2019s a representative of what we\u2019re doing here on a daily basis.\u201d<\/p>\n
The calf\u2019s most serious injuries weren\u2019t immediately obvious. Although the watercraft wounds and shark bites were significant, veterinarians became increasingly concerned after observing its behavior in rehabilitation.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe would take a quick sip of air and then kind of sink to the bottom, even in the shallow water,\u201d Persky said.<\/p>\n
Additional diagnostics, including X-rays and a chest tap, revealed pyothorax, a severe infection inside the chest cavity. Persky explained that infections can spread through traumatic wounds, filling the chest with infected fluid and making it increasingly difficult for the lungs to expand.<\/p>\n
Treating that kind of infection presents unique challenges in an animal that spends its entire life submerged. \u201cIf we have a wound, the doctor says, \u2018Keep it out of water,’\u201d Persky said. \u201cWell, these animals live in water.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unlike traditional veterinary medicine, many of the tools and procedures used to treat infections or chest injuries in terrestrial animals simply aren\u2019t designed for aquatic mammals. Veterinarians often have to adapt existing techniques or invent new ones as they go.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe kind of MacGyver medicine,\u201d Persky said. \u201cThe equipment and the treatments were not made for animals living in water.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even so, she said the team pursued every reasonable option before concluding the calf could not recover. \u201cWe don\u2019t know unless you try,\u201d Persky said. \u201cWe\u2019ve definitely tried.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eventually, the infection progressed to the point that the veterinary team determined euthanasia was the most humane course.<\/p>\n
Persky hopes people don\u2019t see the rescue as a failure simply because it did not end with a release back into the wild. The rescue spared the calf from a prolonged death in open water and gave veterinarians the opportunity to relieve its suffering.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnowing that we were able to help him along rather than him being out there and suffering, for us, at the end of the day, that\u2019s something that we\u2019re proud of \u2014 that we were able to help,\u201d Persky said.<\/p>\n
Today, ZooTampa is caring for 24 manatees, including seven significant boat strike cases since January, according to Persky.<\/p>\n
ZooTampa is one of four federally permitted acute care facilities in Florida participating in the statewide Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership, a cooperative coordinated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Once a rescued manatee is medically stabilized, it may be transferred to one of several secondary holding facilities while continuing its recovery before being released back into Florida waters.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all want a happy ending,\u201d Persky said. \u201cAnd I think that in this case, as sad as the story is, it\u2019s still super impactful.\u201d<\/p>\n
With summer boating season underway and calves continuing to enter Florida\u2019s waterways, Persky said boaters can play an important role in protecting the species by obeying posted manatee speed zones, remaining vigilant in shallow water and reporting injured, distressed or orphaned manatees to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission\u2019s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).\u00a0<\/p>\n
Persky reminded Floridians that protecting manatees is a shared responsibility, saying, \u201cWe all play a role in that.\u201d<\/p>\n
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