Manatee Rescues Matter: Perspective From a DRC Manatee Rescue Team Member
By: Preston Surrage, Manatee Rescue Team and Environmental Services
At Dolphin Research Center, we work closely with our in-house veterinarian, Scott Gearhart, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to assess when a manatee is in distress. If a rescue is needed, we’re the ones who locate and safely catch the animal so it can be transported to a licensed rehabilitation facility—typically SeaWorld Orlando or another FWC-associated center. Once it’s healthy again, we help return it to the wild which is very fulfilling.
This work is one of the most meaningful things I’ve ever been a part of. Even though I am already a practicing professional, I chose to get a job at Dolphin Research Center simply knowing they helped run the manatee rescue program in the Florida Keys.
Being part of the rescue team gives me a way to change the world in a real, direct way. These aren’t abstract efforts. When we save a manatee, that’s a living, breathing life still out there because we did something. I’ve stood in the water with manatees that barely moved. I’ve helped carry them into transport trucks. I’ve waited in the shallows during a release and watched them swim back into the ocean.
Moments like this are unforgettable. It’s so amazing to know you are a part of a team of like-minded individuals sharing a common goal and purpose. You don’t forget moments like that. They stay with you. They remind you why we do this.
And for me, that’s everything.
So far in the year 2025, we’ve had 12 successful rescues:
3 from boat strikes
2 from natural issues such as gut blockages
1 orphaned calf
3 entanglement
3 dependent calves of previously rescued mothers
In addition, we’ve had 10 rescue attempts that were not successful. There are many difficulties that can create barriers when we attempt a rescue. Manatees are wild and large animals and when we typically encounter them, they may be severely sick or injured and not behave like they typically would as if they were healthy.
Some of these animals were able to evade our rescue team due to a variety of factors such as geography that poses challenges, other manatees and wildlife present, vehicle and boat traffic, or succumbed to their critical injuries en route to treatment and rehabilitation.
As hard as these outcomes are, they remind us that each rescue attempt effort matters—because each manatee matters. Some rescues are fast. Others take hours of planning, tracking, and adapting to the environment. But no matter how difficult the situation is, we show up.
What’s made this year even more inspiring is the support we’ve received from the local community. People have offered us their personal equipment—like kayaks—for tracking manatees. Something as simple as lending a hat or sunscreen have made real differences. Others have opened up their homes and private boat ramps to help us access hard-to-reach areas. Volunteers have even kept eyes on struggling manatees until we could arrive.
What’s more amazing is this is all over the entirety of the Florida Keys. That kind of support makes a real difference.
Every rescue we do is empowered by people like you—members, donors, neighbors, and strangers who choose to care. It’s already been a busy year this year. But we’re not done. And we’ll keep showing up—because they still need us.
