Two Rehabilitated Manatees Released Into Upper Keys Waters After Months of Care

Luca and Giovanni slipped back into Upper Keys waters at Calusa Campground on March 11, drawing a crowd of supporters to witness the end of a rehabilitation journey that stretched across more than a year and two separate facilities.

The two juvenile manatees arrived at their release point after a multi-stage recovery coordinated by the Dolphin Research Center, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, SeaWorld Orlando, and Aquarium Encounters in Marathon. Each animal came to the network through different circumstances. Luca was rescued in August 2024 as an orphaned calf. Giovanni was pulled from the water last year after a gastrointestinal infection required medical treatment.

Following their respective rescues, both manatees were transported to SeaWorld Orlando for specialized medical care and rehabilitation. Once that primary phase was complete, their young ages prompted a transfer closer to home: Aquarium Encounters in Marathon, where Luca and Giovanni continued building strength while staff determined when conditions were right for release into Key Largo waters.

The Dolphin Research Center, which announced the March 11 release, described it as the product of a collaborative effort spanning those four organizations. The FWC, which leads the statewide manatee rescue and rehabilitation system, coordinates a network of partners across Florida that responds to strandings, injuries, and orphaned calves before moving animals through the rehabilitation pipeline toward release.

Anyone who spots a sick, injured, or orphaned manatee in Monroe County waters should report it to the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922), which operates around the clock. Boaters can reduce the risk of manatee strikes by staying out of shallow areas and seagrass beds where the animals feed and by wearing polarized sunglasses, which make it easier to spot the small circular swirl of disturbed water that marks a manatee's path just below the surface.

Luca's release came roughly 19 months after his August 2024 rescue, a timeline that reflects the careful pacing required when rehabilitating young calves who must reach sufficient size and health before returning to open water. For Giovanni, the gastrointestinal illness that triggered intervention last year left no apparent barrier to a full return, with the March 11 release marking his reintroduction to the same Florida Keys ecosystem where manatees have long depended on the area's warm, shallow waters.