ZooTampa Shows Off Plans for New ‘Manatee Rescue’ Exhibit

More than 3,000 wildlife experts gathered at the Tampa Convention Center last week. The 2025 Association of Zoos and Aquariums Annual Conference ran from Sept. 13 to 18.

On Thursday, guests got a sneak peek at the upcoming "Manatee Rescue" site. Construction chief Jared Russell led tours through the space. When finished next spring, the exhibit will house manatees, otters, and moon jellyfish in natural settings.

"Our old otter habitat used to have a bunch of artificial rocks, artificial trees, artificial plants and now we are going to more real trees, more plants, more rocks," said Russell, according to Tampa Bay 28.

The meeting brought fresh ideas from across the globe. Windy Arey Kent, who runs conservation for AZA SAFE Sharks and Rays, put it this way: "It's an opportunity not just for networking, but it's really for learning, sharing information and to see what our colleagues are doing all across the world in AZA accredited facilities so we can increase our collaboration."

At ZooTampa, staff kept guests busy with special programs. "Aquarium and zoo professionals that were in town for this conference are now enjoying the zoo, trying to see what we offer both from food, behind the scenes encounters, and of course, the wildlife in our care," said Arinn Bolin, who leads guest programs.

Local spots pitched in to welcome visitors. The Florida Aquarium and Busch Gardens helped run events. Paul Cox flew in from London to talk about saving sharks. "I used to work in aquariums and I spent a lot of time in aquariums, talking to people, talking about the animals that they saw and sharks always came up as an interesting topic," said Cox.

Shuttle buses brought groups to see the animals all day long. This marked one of the biggest zoo meetings in North America for 2025.

Next spring's Manatee Rescue opening shows ZooTampa's push to protect wildlife. Guests will watch sea creatures swim in spaces that look just like their wild homes.