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- Florida Fish and Wildlife reported 25 manatee deaths in Lee County from Feb. 13-18.
- Cold stress is suspected as a contributing factor in the recent manatee deaths.
- Behavioral zoologist Rob Howell noted cold snaps and pollution as potential causes.
FORT MYERS, Florida — Florida Fish and Wildlife said 18 manatees were removed from Manatee Park in Fort Myers on Thursday. Those manatees were part of the 25 total deaths reported in Lee County from Feb. 13-18.
All known manatee carcasses have now been recovered, according to FWC. The agency said necropsies were performed on some animals, and all carcasses have been disposed of.
"Initial observations suggest cold stress may be a contributing factor," FWC said.
Manatee Park in Fort Myers was used as a staging site for recovery operations, removing the carcasses reported in the Orange River and surrounding areas of Fort Myers, according to wildlife officials.
The park was closed Thursday morning as crews removed the manatees from the water, and the park reopened Thursday afternoon.
FWC said it has seen an increase in reports of dead manatees in the Orange River and surrounding areas. A spokesperson told Fox 4 that between Feb. 13 and Feb. 18, approximately 25 manatee deaths were reported in Lee County.
FWC said initial observations suggest cold stress may be a contributing factor, but the investigation is ongoing.
According to numbers posted earlier this week by FWC, 18 manatees had died in Lee County since January 1 of this year.
There have been 85 deaths in the state of Florida this year.
In 2025 there were 632 manatee deaths reported, a large majority of those were not necropsied, but 33 of those were from cold stress.
Behavioral zoologist Rob Howell said the number of dead manatees is "off the charts." He said recent cold snaps could have played a role.
"If these animals got cold, they're very susceptible to cold stress. Even thought they look big and round they only have an inch of fat over their entire body," Howell said. "And water under 70s to 68 degrees can kill them, very quickly in fact."
Pollution in the Caloosahatchee River has forced manatees to travel far away for food, Howell said. Manatees in the Orange River sometimes go through Matlacha Pass to the barrier islands for sea grass, Howell said. That journey can take more than a day.
Recently, starvation has been the leading killer of manatees, Howell said. Nonprofits and education groups have partnered to monitor the health of southwest Florida's sea grass, which has dropped significantly in places like Charlotte Harbor.
Manatees need to eat 10% of their body weight in vegetation every day, Howell said.
"If they're not getting that, they're not going to survive," Howell said.
