Approximately twenty-eight manatee calves have been reported dead each year for the past six years in the southeastern United States. Of the seventy manatees rescued over the past thirteen years by Sea World of Florida (ranging in size between 115-160 cm in length and 17 to 73 kg in body weight) there has been a thirty percent survival rate. The presenting medical disorders exhibited by manatee calves often include one or more of the following; hypoglycemia, fluid and electrolyte imbalances, hypothermia, emaciation, infections (i.e. septicemia and omphalitis), constipation, and diarrhea. Initial therapy is directed toward the correction of fluid, electrolyte and glucose imbalances usually by gastric gavage because of the difficulty of intravenous fluid therapy. Hypothermic calves (body temperature less than 33°C) are warmed in heated pool (optimum temperature of 27°C). Initial diagnostic procedures usually include radiography and sonography. Supportive care of orphan manatee calves includes providing a natural or artificial milk diet (via tube or bottle feeding), a healthy aquatic environment, and specific therapy for medical disorders.