ZooTampa — Stories from the cafe

Jan 12

Jan 12 Florida Zoo Hospital Rehabs Record Number of Manatees

ZooTampa’s manatee rehab center announced it had released 26 manatees in 2025, the highest number of rehabbed manatees returned to the wild in any single year since the facility opened in 1991.

Oct 10

Oct 10 While Others Evacuate, Tampa Zoo Staffers Hunker Down, Chop Veggies and Comfort Residents

Manuela Hoelterhoff & Mike DiPaola

Animal Welfare, Animal Heroes

More than 1000 animals reside in Florida’s ZooTampa at Lowry Park, which happens to be just ten miles from the waterfront. When Hurricane Milton blew through town this week, a dozen brave zoo staff hunkered down with their charges, even as other humans had hightailed it out of the mandatory evacuation zone.

Dec 30

Dec 30 Florida’s Manatees Have an Okay Year

Manuela Hoelterhoff & Mike DiPaola

Animal Welfare

It’s been a rough few years for the Florida manatee, which has suffered shocking population decline along the Sunshine State’s Atlantic coast, due mostly to i poor malnutrition. But 2023 showed a modest but encouraging improvement in both the mortality rate and the health of the seagrass on which these gentle creatures feed.

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