Three calves return south to Tampa and one sent back north to Columbus Zoo for second stage rehabilitation

Prior to Hurricane Milton making landfall in Florida, five manatees were flown more than 1,000 miles from Ohio to prepare for release back to their native waters. The moves, which occurred October 6 and October 7, marks another pivotal conservation achievement following over two years of successful rehabilitation efforts as part of a multi-institution collaborative effort.  

In an intricate operation, the manatees- Nolia, Waffles, and Amethyst, who now weigh a total of more than 2000 pounds – were placed alongside two other manatees in custom-built, state-of-the art containers on a specially scheduled DHL cargo plane. In the upcoming months, the manatees will complete the final stages of their rehabilitation before they are released back into the wild.  

“As manatee continue to face hardships and critical care facilities operate close to capacity, these transfers are extremely important to make room for critically injured, ill and orphaned manatees,” said Tiffany Burns, ZooTampa’s senior director of animal programs and president of the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership. “We are grateful to our partners in Ohio for providing secondary rehabilitation. It’s an incredible team effort and we are excited about the manatees’ return to Florida waters early next year."

Yet even as the three young manatees return to their native state, the conservation work to save manatees continues – one female orphan calf, Sabal, was transported on the return flight back to Columbus, Ohio, to continue her rehabilitation. Juvenile manatees must reach a goal weight of 600 pounds to be considered for release.

ZooTampa’s David A. Straz, Jr. Critical Care Center has cared for almost 600 injured, sick, and orphaned manatees. Two other manatees, who were receiving secondary care at Clearwater Marine Aquarium were brought back to the Zoo last month bringing the total of patients currently at the Zoo to 24.

Please see attached press release for all the details, including pictures and additional information from each facility involved in this special “Big Manatee Move.” For more information, contact the Communications Department at media.relations@zootampa.org.

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