PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The Clearwater Marine Aquarium is working to save injured manatees with a brand-new rehabilitation center.
"To see these animals up close, but not to touch them because they don't want us to touch them, it's a great experience," said 14-year-old Elliott Walko.
Walko and his family came to visit the Manatee Rehabilitation Center at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium on Tuesday.
"It's like a new dog coming home from the shelter and trying to get to know their house better. Like they are trying to explore all the corners and nooks and crannies of their house," said Walko.
The facility opened on Monday and is now housing two new manatees that were transferred from ZooTampa's critical care center.
"This allows other MRP facilities such as ZooTampa, where they came from, to take in more critical care cases," said Tanya Ward, who works with the manatees at the aquarium.
Ward said more facilities like this one are necessary.
"More hospitals are having to pop up more second-stage facilities, which really shows the plight of these animals and what they are going through out in the wild," said Ward.
The new rehabilitation center is currently being used for manatees that are not in a critical state, and they will be released back into the Gulf once they are healthy enough.
But within the next year, the center will be expanded.
Officials said a critical care unit will eventually be built and ready to house manatees to perform surgeries and other medical procedures.
"That means we will be able to bring in manatees that are affected by cold stress, crab trap entanglements, or any kind of entanglements, boat strikes, orphans, things of that nature, and then heal them up," said Ward.
Walko's mother, Rebecca Walko, said she is thankful the new center is helping the creatures her kids love to see.
"Our environment is quickly shrinking, as far as nature and wildlife, so to have the opportunity to visit and see this experience in action is an amazing opportunity," she said.
A state report says hundreds of frail elderly nursing home residents were stacked side by side, head to toe in a small church with no working air conditioning or refrigerator during Hurricane Helene.
