Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium is proud to announce the arrival of its first two manatee rehabilitation patients, Cabbage and Sleet, marking a major milestone in manatee conservation. This transfer signifies the launch of Mote’s role as a secondary care holding facility for manatee rehabilitation under the direction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
After rescue, injured, sick or orphaned manatees are transferred to a federally permitted acute care facility. Once medically stabilized, manatees may be transferred to a secondary care holding facility, such as Mote, for final stages of rehabilitation while awaiting release.
Over the past several years, Florida has experienced unusually high numbers of manatee mortalities, driven largely by seagrass loss, harmful algal blooms, and cold stress. Key threats placed extraordinary pressure on the state’s existing critical care centers, creating a significant need for expanded care and holding capacity. Mote’s new designation helps meet that need and supports a more robust statewide response to manatee rehabilitation and recovery efforts.
“This designation reflects Mote’s long-standing commitment to marine animal rescue and rehabilitation, and strengthens Florida’s capacity to respond to the growing need for manatee care,” said Dr. Michael P. Crosby, Mote President & CEO. “We’re hopeful that the Florida State Legislature will also approve our requested support this session for Mote to further expand our manatee secondary care facilities capacity for up to 12 additional manatees at our Mote Aquaculture Research Park campus.”
As a secondary care holding facility, Mote will provide rehabilitative care for non-critical manatee patients to improve capacity at Florida’s primary critical care centers. This expansion of care capacity is vital, as Florida manatees continue to face threats from habitat loss, boat strikes, red tide, cold stress, and entanglement or ingestion of marine debris.
Cabbage and Sleet were transferred to Mote on Monday, April 28, 2025 from the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, and ZooTampa at Lowry Park respectively, and represents a significant increase in Mote’s partnership role with the USFWS, FWC and Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP) in the recovery of this iconic species. Mote’s expert veterinary and hospital staff will provide Cabbage and Sleet with routine medical care with an emphasis on increasing the manatees’ weight and length, two critical factors in order to be released.
Sleet was rescued by members of USFWS, FWC, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, University of Florida, and ZooTampa on January 8, 2025 from Three Sisters Spring in Crystal River with signs of cold stress. Upon arrival at ZooTampa, Sleet received supportive care including gradual thermal therapy, fluids, and nutritional support to stabilize his condition. After 110 days of recovery, Sleet was deemed stable and transferred to Mote to continue rehabilitation.
Cabbage was rescued by FWC, ZooTampa, and Mote’s Stranding Investigations Research Program staff and volunteers on February 27, 2025 at Portosueno Park in Bradenton, also presenting signs of cold stress. Cabbage’s initial treatment at the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature included thermal support, wound care to lesions associated with cold stress, and dietary support to address weight loss. After 61 days of care and clinical improvement, Cabbage was transferred to Mote for continued rehabilitation.
The manatees were safely transported by teams of experienced animal care professionals. Each animal was carefully prepared for transport and accompanied by expert staff throughout the journey to ensure their well-being.
Mote’s manatee rehabilitation work builds on decades of expertise through its animal rehab hospital, which has treated 74 dolphin and whales, 952 sea turtles, and tens of thousands of sea turtle hatchlings during nesting seasons. And its Stranding Investigations Research Program, which has responded to more than 800 stranded cetaceans since 1985 and 1,400 sea turtles since 2003.
Mote’s programs operate under federal permits and focus on the rescue, rehabilitation, release, and scientific investigation of marine animals to improve conservation outcomes for wild populations.
The arrival of Cabbage and Sleet is a symbol of progress in manatee conservation and underscores the power of collaboration among Florida’s leading marine animal care institutions that include FWC, ZooTampa at Lowry Park, Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, and Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium who along with USFWS are all members of the MRP cooperative group of nonprofit, private, state, and federal entities working together to rescue, rehabilitate, release, and monitor manatees while also advancing research and public education.