CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens said goodbye to three manatees as they were flown more than 1,000 miles back to Florida, in preparation for their release back into the wild.
When they were first rescued in 2021, Piccolina, Soleil and Calliope were some of the smallest calves ever rescued and treated by experts in Tampa; Soleil and Calliope were both in need of treatment for partially-attached umbilical cords and Piccolina weighed just 44 pounds. The trio joined the Cincinnati Zoo's Manatee Springs in 2022.
The trio, along with other manatees awaiting release from the Columbus Zoo, were loaded onto a cargo plane at CVG, where they were taken to Florida for final preparations.
Ultimately, they'll be released into the wild in February.
As part of the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership, however, the zoo accepted three new residents for Manatee Springs.
As early as Friday, guests will be able to meet Nolia, Waffles and Amethyst.
Nolia was rescued in Florida after suffering from cold stress in January; Waffles was rescued with her mother in Port of the Islands, Fla. in late January; Amethyst was rescued in Idiot's Delight Spring-Kings Bay in Fla. in February.
To date, the Cincinnati Zoo has helped rehabilitate a total of 26 manatees that have been returned to Florida.
Manatee Springs will be closed for a few days while Nolia, Waffles and Amethyst adapt to their new home in Cincinnati.
The Florida manatee, recently downgraded from endangered to threatened, is at risk from both natural and man-made causes of injury and mortality. Exposure to red tide, cold stress, and disease are all natural problems that can affect manatees. Human-caused threats include boat strikes, crushing by flood gates or locks, and entanglement in or ingestion of fishing gear.
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