Anyone who spends a lot of time in Central Florida outside the theme parks are very familiar with Manatees, the large gray gentle giants of the sea. These slow moving hefty sea mammals make the oceans and natural springs of Florida their home. But their need to swim near the surface of the water makes them an easy target for accidental encounters with boat propellers and other man-made dangers.
Inigo the Manatee. Photo Credit: Marvin Montanaro
As such, many aquatic centers throughout Florida care for these creatures, including Epcot.
The Seas Pavilion attached to The Seas With Nemo and Friends attraction (Formerly Known As The Living Seas) has been home to two manatees, Lil Joe and Lou, for many years.
However, recently Lou, a manatee whose tail was partially severed by a boat, was relocated to another facility in Sarasota. This came as part of a larger Manatee relocation initiative throughout the state under the advisement of the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services.
Inigo the Manatee. Photo Credit: Marvin Montanaro
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But Lil Joe wasn’t without a roommate for long. Inigo, a new resident of the Seas pavilion, soon joined him. According to cast members attending to Inigo’s care, he was rescued three different times after attempts to return him to the wild failed.
The first time, the manatee was suffering from seizures and was found, rescued, and treated. Finding no underlying issues, he was returned to the wild to live out his days in peace. However, soon after he was struck by a boat and needed to be taken in once more to receive care. Once Inigo was healthy enough to survive in his natural habitat, researchers once more returned him to the wild.
Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, he beached himself, and it was determined that he wasn’t able to sustain himself in the wild anymore. He was then taken into human care once more.
Inigo the Manatee. Photo Credit: Marvin Montanaro
While we will greatly miss Lou, we do look forward to aiding this other manatee in the next stage of rehabilitation as we continue to do our part in addressing the manatee crisis in Florida, which has seen declining manatee populations in the past few years,” Walt Disney World said in a statement to the press.
Inigo and Lil Joe can be seen in the Sea’s Pavilion every day at Epcot. The manatees can be seen from an underwater viewing area on the ground floor, off to the right when exiting from The Seas With Nemo and Friends attraction. But guests can also see them from above on the second floor, where cast members are feeding and working with the pair.
Inigo the Manatee. Photo Credit: Marvin Montanaro
The manatees have a constant supply of romaine lettuce provided by the cast members all day every day. A 1,000 pound manatee must eat up to 150 pounds of romaine lettuce a day to maintain their health. Between Inigo and Lil Joe, that’s 300 pounds of lettuce every day.
Visitors or residents of Central Florida can see hundreds of manatees in the wild from a safe distance every winter when they migrate into Blue Spring State Park. In the colder winter months (yes, it can get somewhat cold during a Florida winter) manatees leave the colder waters of the Atlantic Ocean and swim into Florida’s natural springs, where the water is always at a steady temperature that’s more palatable for these animals.
Marvin The Movie Monster Montanaro is a YouTube commentator and personality specializing in movies, TV, video games, and professional wrestling. He can be found on his channels Tooney Town TV and Tooney Town Wrestling with daily content and weekly livestreams. He can also be found on That Game Place, the That Park Place video game channel.
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