Brevard Zoo hopes to have the first manatee rehabilitation center in the county. Through grant funding and generous donations, the multi-million-dollar venture will comprise three tanks in the zoo’s “behind-the-scenes areas.”
The venture’s early facilities will primarily focus on stabilizing critically ill or injured manatees. Under the zoo’s purview, the animals would be rehabilitated and then eventually released into the wild.
The seagrass nursery hopes to restore the area’s damaged ecosystem.
Per Brevard Zoo’s website, plans also call for a seagrass nursery. This aspect would comprise six 880-gallon “raceways.” The ultimate goal would be to help restore some of the area’s lagoons that have experienced habitat destruction and damage.
Our sources report that if all goes according to plan, construction on the manatee rehabilitation center could start in January 2024. At the time of publication, the project was in its planning stage, with a general contractor not yet disclosed.
As expected, Brevard Zoo is the project’s owner. The organization presently has two active projects; this one and the Brevard Zoo Aquarium at Port Canaveral.” The Orlando Business Journal reports that this project will comprise a 130,000-square-foot aquarium and cost $100 million to complete.
The manatee rehabilitation center is slated for 8225 N Wickham Road, Melbourne, Florida, 32940, in Brevard County. It’s just off I-95.
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