Photo of three manatees swimming underwater

The three manatee orphans swim in their tank at the Cincinnati Zoo. From left: Soleil, Piccolina, and Calliope

Courtesy of Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

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Manatees on the Move

When three baby manatees were left on their own, rescue workers stepped in to save them. 

August 26, 2024
By Meg Richardson

As You Read, Think About: What are some challenges of moving large sea animals?

How do you raise three orphaned manatees? That was the problem zookeepers at ZooTampa in Florida faced in 2021.

Manatee calves usually stay with their mothers for about two years. But when rescue workers found each of the three female babies in nearby waterways, their moms were nowhere in sight. The calves were malnourished. Most manatees weigh about 65 pounds at birth, but the smallest of the orphans was only 44 pounds. 

ZooTampa’s manatee hospital took in the three babies. The staff named them Soleil (soh-LAY), Calliope (kuh-LYE-oh-pee), and Piccolina (pih-koh-LEE-nah).

For the manatees, it was the start of a long journey of survival. Over the next two years, they would be transported hundreds of miles on trucks and planes before being returned to their natural habitat. 

Manatee Emergency

About 8,300 manatees live in Florida’s waterways, according to state wildlife officials. Though that number is way up from 50 years ago, the slow-moving mammals are still at risk. 

One of the biggest threats is a decline in their main food source. Most adult manatees eat about 100 pounds of seagrass a day. The herbivores, or plant eaters, graze so much that they’re often called “sea cows.” But sewage and other pollution is causing seagrass along Florida’s coastlines to disappear at an alarming rate. 

In 2021, the year the three orphans were found, a record 1,100 manatees died in Florida.

Growing Stronger

At ZooTampa, zookeepers cared for the orphans day and night. Caretakers made buckets of special formula that they fed to the calves from baby bottles.

By November 2022, Piccolina, the smallest of the three, weighed about 375 pounds. But manatees should weigh at least 600 pounds before they’re returned to the wild.

To free up space for other manatees in need, the three calves were moved to another rehabilitation center. They were loaded onto planes and flown about 800 miles to the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio. 

“When we first got those girls, they were very scared,” says Tara Lay. She’s a zookeeper at the Cincinnati Zoo. 

Slowly, the gentle giants became more confident and grew stronger. Lay and other zoo workers fed the manatees leafy greens that they arranged at the bottom of a tank to look like seagrass. 

Going Home

After 11 months in Cincinnati, the orphans were big enough to be released back into the wild. That meant a return trip to Florida, along with five other manatees. 

Moving nearly 6,000 pounds of manatees took a lot of effort. Workers placed the sea cows into huge padded containers and loaded them onto trucks that took them to the airport. 

After a few months back at ZooTampa, it was time for the caretakers to say goodbye. Researchers fitted the manatees with tracking devices so they could check on the animals. Calliope and Soleil were released on February 13 of this year. Piccolina joined them the next day.

“It was really cute because they had a little bit of a reunion once they all got out there,” Lay says.

Though Lay was sad to see the manatees go, she was happy they were back where they belong. 

“I definitely cried a lot of tears of joy,” Lay recalls. “Watching them out there with other manatees, it was very rewarding.

How to Save a Manatee

Here’s a look at how zookeepers and rescue workers prepared Calliope, Soleil, and Piccolina to return to the wild.

ZooTampa 

Feeding Time 

Every four hours, zookeepers at ZooTampa fed the calves from a giant baby bottle.

Jason Gulley Photography

Moving Day

In Cincinnati, workers placed each manatee on a big tarp. Then they hoisted the animals into specially made shipping crates for the trip back to Tampa.

Jason Gulley Photography

Into the Wild

In February, zookeepers guided the manatees back into a Florida waterway.

Note: Calliope and Piccolina did not immediately thrive in the wild. As of late June, they were back at ZooTampa and doing well.

1. Why does the author write that being found by rescue workers was “the start of a long journey of survival” for the three manatees?

2. What is the section “Manatee Emergency” mostly about?

3. Why do you think Tara Lay and other workers at the Cincinnati Zoo arranged leafy greens at the bottom of a tank to look like seagrass?

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