EPCOT's Manatee and Dolphins Set for Relocation as Part of Animal Welfare Efforts and Infrastructure Upgrades

Sep 10, 2024 in "The Seas with Nemo and Friends (Pavilion)"

Posted: Tuesday September 10, 2024 11:00am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Walt Disney World announced Tuesday that one manatee and three dolphins currently residing in EPCOT's The Seas with Nemo & Friends pavilion will soon be relocated.

Marquee wave effect at Nemo and Friends pavilion

According to the Orlando Sentinel, this move is part of ongoing efforts to support animal rehabilitation and accommodate infrastructure work at the popular attraction.

Disney said Lou, the manatee, will be transferred to another rehabilitation center on Wednesday. Lou has been a part of the pavilion's manatee exhibit, which focuses on the rehabilitation of these vulnerable marine animals. Following Lou's departure, another manatee will join Lil Joe, the remaining manatee at The Seas, to provide companionship as part of the attraction's continued support for the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership.

The relocation is part of a coordinated effort involving several facilities across Florida, with recommendations from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services and the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership.

The Seas With Nemo and Friends Pavilion at EPCOT

In addition to Lou's relocation, the three male dolphins currently residing at The Seas will be moved to Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park in Fort Walton Beach in late October. Disney explained that this decision followed a thorough evaluation, with the best interests of the dolphins in mind as infrastructure work at The Seas progresses.

While these changes are underway, some of the pavilion's popular offerings will also be affected. EPCOT's "Dolphins in Depth," a two-hour behind-the-scenes tour, and the DiveQuest experience, which allows certified divers to explore the pavilion's 5.7-million-gallon saltwater aquarium, will continue until October 19. DiveQuest is expected to return in 2025, after the completion of the infrastructure work.

Dolphins in Depth

Guests will still be able to enjoy other elements of The Seas pavilion, including its aquarium, home to a variety of marine life such as sharks, sea turtles, and clownfish, as well as the family-friendly "Finding Nemo" dark ride and the interactive "Turtle Talk with Crush" attraction.

Discuss on the Forums

Get Walt Disney World News Delivered to Your Inbox

hismattjesty2 hours ago

Disney's Adventure Kingdom? (This is only in jest, but I put nothing past Bob anymore......)

celluloid15 hours ago

Neither are injured wild ones. That was the point.

Mr. Sullivan20 hours ago

Quite a significant difference yes. Oceanic creatures can travel thousands of miles in their lifetimes. They move constantly. This is why a lot of marine animals, especially the exceptionally intelligent ones, tend to get very restless when in captivity. They’re smart enough to recognize they’re enclosed. Your dog or cat thinks of it as a chore to move from the living room to the bedroom.

Tha Realest21 hours ago

That, and the competition has gotten a lot better. Back in the mid to late 90’s I don’t recall there being as many world class zoos around. Now? The theming and wildlife variability in many mid to large size city zoos is quite impressive.

Fido Chuckwagon22 hours ago

What? No. It’s a domesticated animal. Poodles are not adapted to survive in the wild.

Cliff1 day ago

It's not a bad idea. There are probably a few more things Burbank could do to get operations costs down at The Seas. Maybe they could turn off the "Nemo" shell dark-ride part and just make it a back-door, walk-in attraction only. Shutting off the moving ride and not having to maintain those show mechanics could save a few dollars at the end of the year and you won't need to staff that anymore either. That could maybe get a dozen people off their books too and of course cut down on the power bill too. Getting the dolphins and manatees out probably means they can cut down on constant veterinarian staff too. Having just fish to maintain probably requires minimal, less skilled staff for simple scheduled feeding. If a manatee or dolphin dies, it's a huge PR scandal and the state would investigate. Too much liability. Were those dolphins insured? If a jack, tarpon, shark or ray dies, nobody cares or even notices. Maybe water filtering, PH balance checks can be outsourced to a once a week checkup? Also, anything paid to contractors or to a 3rd party company is an added tax write-off too. So, that's a good thing for Burbank.

Cliff1 day ago

I would love to see the books on how much big cats, chimps and all the animals on the tour cost. I can only guess that the food, vet care, labor, monitoring and pharmaceuticals costs are extremely expensive. I have to guess that Burbank financial analysts look at Animal Kingdom's books very hard. I wonder if they are happy with the ROI ratio in recent years.

HauntedPirate2 days ago

Can they just use projections and fool people into thinking there are fish and other creatures in the water? The 'ooo's and 'ahh's would be huge. The Living Seas rockets to the top of the GSAT numbers because the rubes many guests love projections SO much. What?

JoeCamel2 days ago

So if you take the animals out of Animal Kingdom what are you going to call it?

wdwfan4ver2 days ago

What you said about Living Seas also can be said about Rafiki's Planet watch. Also remember DAK's attendance numbers really decline since covid and Iger's answer is bringing more IPS to AK where Dinoland USA is going to be gone. I know the attendance numbers being down after Covid can be somewhat pointed operating hours being less compared to they were after Pandora opened. If Dinoland USA isn't going to help Disney enough, the area at Rafiki's planet watch would be one of the big targets that can do since Disney don't want to use expansion pads if possible. What Said with Rafiki's Planet Watch would mean Wildlife Express would be gone too. Disney has the motives to get a rid of animals AK such as being limited what they can do for night time shows and amount of money saved by not having animals.