August 20, 2026

Manatee Struck and Killed by Boat in Orange Beach

By Rick McCann
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News

August 20, 2026

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. A Manatee has been found dead in Orange Beach and authorities suspect that it was hit by a boat.

The animal was transported over the weekend to the The Dauphin Island Sea Lab and a necropsy was performed at the Marine Mammal Research Center.

According to a press release, an Orange Beach resident reported they saw the dead animal on Sunday, Aug. 16, on the southern shore of Wolf Bay, south of the Intracoastal Waterway.

Members of the sea lab said the manatee had deep lacerations on its back and right side that were consistent with a boat propeller. They said internal injuries and significant blood loss led to its death.

Dr. Ruth Carmichael, director of the DISL, said the manatee’s death is similar to an incident that happened in the same area on Saturday, Aug. 15. In this incident, another manatee was injured in a boat strike.

“When mating, manatees form herds that have difficulty evading fast-moving vessels, Carmichael said. “Each manatee death is significant to the population, and the loss of an otherwise healthy reproductive animal is truly unfortunate.”

This incident marks the sixth confirmed boat-strike manatee killing that has occurred in Alabama waters since 2015. There were no boat strike-related deaths reported in the state before 2015.

Report all manatee sightings to DISL/MSN by phone at 1-866-493-5803 or online at manatee.disl.edu.

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