Following the relocation of Lou the manatee, a new manatee has been welcomed to EPCOT’s Seas Pavilion, joining Lil’ Joe. The manatee shuffle is part of a state-wide recommendation from the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP) and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services (USFWS). The MRP and USFWS are the agencies in charge of managing the rehabilitation and conservation of manatees throughout Florida, and broad changes were made throughout the state.
New Manatee: Inigo
The new manatee is named Inigo and Inigo weighs in at around 1,700 pounds. Inigo’s history hasn’t been posted yet.
Inigo joined Lil’ Joe last month, and is still getting comfortable in the tank. When we visited, Inigo spent a lot of time laying on his back, relaxing, while Lil’ Joe roamed around the tank. In the photo below, we can see Lil’ Joe in the middle of a spin, which he seemed to do quite a bit around Inigo. Occasionally, Inigo would swim along with Lil’ Joe, but he mostly kept to the edges of the tank.
Inigo has some noticeable visible scarring, usually caused by boat motors.
One of the great things about the manatee exhibit at EPCOT is the wealth of information on display for guests to learn more about the animals and what they can do to help the species on decline.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
