Bradenton’s Bishop Museum to expand manatee program with new Myakka facility, acute care
After more manatees than ever died in Florida last year, the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature is building a new facility in Myakka to care for them thanks to a new state grant.
And the Bradenton museum will also soon be able to give hospital care to manatees newly rescued from the wild.
Since 1998, the Bishop has worked to help rescue, rehabilitate and return manatees back into Florida’s water.
On Tuesday, the museum announced it has received $547,000 from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to expand its manatee care program by opening a new facility in Myakka.
The Bishop will use the funds to modify and operate out of an existing facility, but it will not be open to the public. Half of the funds will cover expenses related to the renovation and lease of the facility, with the other half covering new equipment, additional staffing costs, veterinary care and other operating expenses.
“The Myakka property and FWC funding are providing an opportunity for The Bishop not only to increase the number of manatees we can help, but also the way in which we help them,” CEO Hillary Spencer said.
While the Bishop is currently a secondary holding facility, they recently were approved for acute care status. That means that in addition to providing holding space for manatees that are not quite ready for return to the wild, they can now accept and provide treatment for rescued manatees in need of hospital care.
They’ll become one of five facilities federally authorized to treat sick, injured or orphaned Florida manatees, the release said.
The new facility could increase the statewide manatee care network by 10%, providing both critical emergency care and short-term care of manatees.
The museum decided to expand its care program in response to an unusual mortality event caused by starvation affecting manatee populations causing them to die-off, primarily on the east coast of Florida.
A total of 2,369 manatees have died in Florida since 2020.
FWC continues to investigate the high mortality among manatees and says helping live manatees in need of rescue should be a top priority for wildlife agencies.
