Mote Marine: Ann & Alfred Goldstein Marine Mammal Research and Rehabilitation Center

Manatee at Mote Marine in Sarasota, FloridaSarasota, Florida: The Ann & Alfred Goldstein Marine Mammal Center at Mote Marine is a dual purpose facility. Part aquarium, part animal hospital the center is a leader in mammal care throughout the state of Florida.

The public potion of the center is geared toward educating the visitors about the lives of sea turtles, manatees and dolphins.

As you enter the center, you pass through the home of a collection of sea turtles; Shelley, Montego, Harriet, Edgar and Hang Tough call the center home. These residents of Mote have been nursed back to health but due to their injuries can not be released back to the wild.

Next up is two of Mote’s more famous residents, Hugh and Buffett. The adult manatees were brought to Mote Marine in 1996 from the Miami Seaquarium. Today the pair of manatees are used for research and are the only research manatees in the world.

A short trip up the stairs and through the gift shop, you will be able to view the third and final exhibit, the dolphins. Here you will meet Harley and Moonshine, Mote’s resident dolphins. Like the other mammals in the center, these guys can not be released back to the wild due to their injuries. Harley is a female spinner dolphin that came to Mote after being stranded on a beach in Texas in 2004. Moonshine is a male spotted dolphin that was stranded in Marathon back in 2003. The pair of dolphins now call Mote Marne their permanent home and can be seen playing in their exhibit on a daily basis.

The private potion of the center is the hospital. From here, marine scientists and veterinarians care for mammals that are injured in the wild. Past patients include dolphins, sea turtles and whales. The animals are treated and cared for until they are healthy enough to return to the wild.

The Marine Mammal Center at Mote Marine goes a long way to help preserve the quality of life for the animals. Through education and research, the staff is helping to extend the life expectancy of these animals.

For more photos from the center, visit my Mote Marine photo page.

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