Three manatees rescued in 2021 needed intensive care. They’re now back in the wild
Three manatees rescued in 2021 were “quite small” and needed intensive care to survive, animal experts say.
Manatees Calliope, Soleil and Piccolina were 62 pounds, 53 pounds and a mere 44 pounds when they were rescued in South Florida by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Bottle feeding and intensive care over a several-month period helped, and they eventually hit 350 pounds while at ZooTampa, but they weren’t ready for the Florida water just yet.
They spent a year in second-stage rehabilitation at the Cincinnati Zoo, where they were fed plenty of lettuce to help them grow.
The Cincinnati Zoo said the manatees hit their goal weight of 600 pounds and were finally ready to return to their native Florida waters. Calliope and Soleil were released on Feb. 13, and Piccolina was released on Feb. 14, the zoo told McClatchy News.
The Florida manatee population has struggled since 2020 due to a decline in food availability along the coast of the Atlantic, the zoo said. The Cincinnati Zoo is part of the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership.
This story was originally published February 27, 2024 at 2:04 PM with the headline "Three manatees rescued in 2021 needed intensive care. They’re now back in the wild."
