Otto M. Budig Manatee Springs is a celebration of Florida’s magnificent biodiversity, highlighting the Florida manatee, and a plea for its long-term conservation. Much of Florida’s biodiversity is under siege. The fate of Florida’s wildlife and wild places is in our hands. Each one of us can make a difference. Since 1999 the Zoo has been partnering with the US Fish & Wildlife Service, Sea World and other groups in Florida to bring injured, starving and orphaned baby Manatees to the Zoo’s Manatee Springs habitat to nurse them back to health and give them a second chance. We’ve rehabilitated 19 manatees here. Learn more about the Zoo’s Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership by clicking here.