The two orphaned manatees who arrived in November 2025, Orchid and Vora, have officially returned to the wild! This marks a milestone for CMA’s rehabilitation efforts with the first successful release of manatee patients from the Dr. James “Buddy” Powell Manatee Rehabilitation Center. The rescue, rehab and release of these manatees was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership. Vora was rescued as an orphaned calf in October 2023 in Pompano Beach, FL and was rehabilitated at seaworldorlando, cincinnatizoo, and columbuszoo before arriving at CMA for her final stage before release. Vora was released at Blue Spring State Park on February 17 with support from MRP partners, including motemarinelab savethemanateeclub, countyofvolusia, fwcresearch and fl.stateparks. Orchid was rescued as an orphaned calf in March 2023 in Crystal River, FL and was rehabilitated at seaworldorlando and cincinnatizoo before arriving at CMA. She was relea...