EPCOT’s Manatee and Dolphins Will Be Relocated

According to the Orlando Sentinel, the Walt Disney World Resort will be relocating 1 manatee and 3 dolphins from The Seas with Nemo Pavilion at EPCOT.

The report says that the manatee, who is known as Lou will be moved to another manatee rehabilitation center starting Wednesday. However, there will be a new manatee who will be replacing Lou and will be joining the manatee that is currently there, known as Lil Joe.

The change is being done “as part of a broader set of manatee moves around the state” which is recommended by the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services.

One manatee and three dolphins soon will be moving out of their Epcot habitat, Walt Disney World announced Tuesday. The animals are part of the theme park’s The Seas With Nemo & Friends attraction.

A manatee named Lou is moving to another manatee rehabilitation center starting Wednesday, Disney said. Soon after the relocation, another manatee will come to EPCOT. This manatee will be a companion to Lil Joe, the manatee currently living there.

“While we will greatly miss Lou, we do look forward to aiding this other manatee in the next stage of rehabilitation as we continue to do our part in addressing the manatee crisis in Florida, which has seen declining manatee populations in the past few years,” reads a statement released from Walt Disney World to members of the media.

The change is being done “as part of a broader set of manatee moves around the state” recommended by the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services.

In addition, three male dolphins will be moved as well. They will be moved to the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park in Fort Walton Beach in late October.

“This decision came after a comprehensive evaluation as to what is best for these dolphins as infrastructure work progresses at The Seas,” according to the Disney statement.

EPCOT will continue to offer the Dolphins in Depth backstage tour, and the DiveQuest experiences through October 19.  DiveQuest, which allows scuba divers to swim in the tank, is expected to return in 2025.

Stay tuned to A Disney World After All for the latest Disney news!

What do you think? Will you miss the dolphins and Lou the manatee? You can share with me in the comments or on social! Find me on Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram, Threads, and TikTok.

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