JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens cut the ribbon Friday on its new J. Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver Manatee River Habitat and VyStar Sky Scape entrance. The habitat will pull double duty as a rehab facility for the mammals.
The habitat portion of the $72 million project will alleviate the amount of time it takes to get an injured manatee the care it needs.
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“Before, if we had to rescue one up here, it had to be in a truck, and down to SeaWorld, and down to Tampa, and down to Miami. Which, you know, longer in the truck isn’t great for them and stuff. But now this gives a facility up here where we can now blanket the entire state with all these different facilities,” Zoo spokesman Curtis Dvorak said.
With ribbon officially cut on the habitat Friday, the zoo now has the capacity to rehab up to 20 manatees, triple the amount that they were able to care for before.
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According to the Florida Marine Mammal Commission, the Florida Manatee is considered threatened. The species had an uptick in deaths in 2020 caused by starvation. Some wildlife groups are working to have its status up listed to endangered once again.
Dvorak, a boater, said they play a part in conservation as well. Water strikes by boats partially contribute to the manatee’s deaths and injuries.
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“We gotta watch our extra lines that we’re dropping in the water. We gotta watch our speed around docks, around bridges,” Dvorak said.
The exhibit will also feature critical care pools designed for rescue, recovery, and release. The zoo and gardens says visitors will be able to see some of the care rendered to the Manatees as well.
The Skyscape entrance and manatee exhibit will open to the public on Friday, March 6.
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