For years, guests visiting EPCOT’s The Seas with Nemo & Friends marveled at the gentle manatees floating through the massive SeaBase aquarium. But recently, Disney Parks fans noticed something strange—two of the beloved marine mammals, Lil’ Joe and Inigo, had vanished without explanation. After weeks of speculation, Walt Disney World Resort has finally revealed why the longtime resident manatees were removed from the theme park.
Disney World Guests Shocked by Missing Manatees
The disappearance of Lil’ Joe and Inigo sparked concern among Walt Disney World Resort guests. Lil’ Joe, an orphaned manatee rescued in 1989, had lived at EPCOT for over 20 years, while Inigo had only recently arrived in September 2024. Since manatees can live up to 60 years in captivity, fans were left wondering why Disney had decided to relocate them.
For weeks, there was no official word—until late January, when reports confirmed that both Lil’ Joe and Inigo had been moved to the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park in Florida’s Panhandle. The reason? A major shift in Walt Disney World Resort’s approach to manatee care.
Disney Shifts Focus to Short-Term Manatee Rehabilitation
Rather than providing permanent sanctuary to manatees like Lil’ Joe, Disney is now dedicating its resources to short-term rescue and rehabilitation efforts. The goal is to help orphaned and injured manatees recover before returning them to the wild.
According to the YouTube channel EYNTK.info, which recently spoke with Disney’s top animal care experts, the change reflects the growing threats to Florida’s wild manatee population. Dr. Geoff Pye, Walt Disney World Resort’s Animal Health Director, and Dr. Jen Flower, a Disney Clinical Veterinarian, shed light on the decision.
“Previously… we have had long-term manatees here at The Seas that we were caring for,” Dr. Flower explained. “We recently shifted to more short-term rescue and rehabilitation care here with our manatees, so we’re going to be getting even more manatees in from the wild, helping get them healthy, and then releasing them. Disney works with The Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership, which is a group of manatee experts all over the state of Florida and all over the U.S. that care for and protect manatees.”
Dr. Pye emphasized that the move will allow Disney to take in more manatees in need.
“What it’s allowing us to do now is to really get into manatee rehabilitation in a much bigger way,” he said. “Currently, it’s mainly orphans that is the need at the moment, so we’re taking in youngsters… Sometimes, they’ll be ill. We see a lot of pneumonia when we see debilitated manatees.”
Cutting-edge Care for Walt Disney World Resort’s New Manatees
Disney maintains advanced technology to support its rescue efforts, including a CT scanner that allows veterinarians to diagnose illnesses like pneumonia.
“Once they’re healthy, then it’s really just fattening up them so that they can be released back to the wild,” Dr. Pye said.
Dr. Flower also detailed how The Seas’ facilities are designed to provide world-class animal care.
“Our backstage area is really great for manatees,” she said. “We have a habitat with a lift floor to allow us to get quick hands on our animals if we need to for medical care. We also have a hospital that is back there to help care for the manatees, where we keep all our medical equipment and supplies. We have state-of-the-art equipment to help us provide the best care possible for these animals.”
Two new manatees, Minnow and Cider, have already arrived at EPCOT to begin their rehabilitation journey.
“They’re still getting used to this habitat, so they do a lot of exploring,” Dr. Flower shared.
Tracking Success in the Wild
Once Disney’s rehabilitated manatees are ready for release, scientists will monitor their progress in the wild.
“Typically, they’ll put a transponder with the manatee; that way, we can track them for a good long period afterward, and that really defines if we’ve been successful or not,” Dr. Pye explained.
For Disney’s animal care experts, the new program marks an exciting step forward in conservation.
“I feel excited at the moment… We’re really impacting conservation directly,” Dr. Pye said. “I’m feeling fairly optimistic about the fact that we have an opportunity to make sure that the manatee population in Florida thrives, and that’s really fueling to our hearts.”
Do you have a favorite memory from The Seas with Nemo and Friends at EPCOT? Share them with Disney Dining in the comments!
