Columbus Zoo welcomes 2 new rescued baby manatees
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium’s only permanent manatee resident, an experienced surrogate mother, doesn’t get much of a break from looking after young calves. But she doesn’t seem to mind.
Stubby, a fan favorite, spent a couple days alone in the 300,000-gallon pool at Manatee Coast this week. After spending about a year and a half in Columbus, the zoo’s two baby manatees, Bananatee and Tostone, headed back to Florida on Monday to continue rehabilitating at the Miami Seaquarium.
Eventually, the goal is to release the orphans back into the wild.
By Thursday morning, a new pair of rescued baby manatees had already arrived in Columbus to join Stubby: Squirrel and Scampi, both females, the zoo announced later that afternoon. Stubby immediately showed a strong interest in the little ones and was giving them a tour of their new habitat, the update said.
If all goes well, it will be a temporary home.
Over the past 20 years, the Columbus Zoo has rehabilitated 31 orphaned manatees as part of the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership. Squirrel and Scampi would be the 32nd and 33rd. Alongside Stubby, rehabilitating calves learn the skills necessary to live on their own, while also growing big and strong enough to do so. Then they’re sent back to facilities in Florida for final preparations before they’re released back into their wild habitats.
Scampi was rescued Nov. 22 with her mother, Jumbo, who was struck by a boat and eventually died from the injuries. Squirrel was found orphaned May 2.
Both spent some time at the Miami Seaquarium before coming to Columbus. At just 116 pounds, Squirrel is one of the smallest manatee calves the zoo has ever cared for, its news release said.
Their exact ages aren’t known, but the zoo’s animal care team estimates that Scampi is more than a year old, and thasquirrel was born sometime this year, zoo spokeswoman Jen Fields said.
Unlike the baby manatees, it’s unlikely that Stubby, who is estimated to be in her mid-to-late-20s, will ever return to the wild. She suffered extensive injuries in a boat strike, specifically to her tail, so it isn’t flat and paddleshaped like typical manatees.
Boat strikes are one of the greatest threats to manatees in the wild. Others include exposure to red tide, cold stress, disease, ingesting or entanglement in fishing gear and crushing by flood gates or locks.
The federal government has declared Florida manatee populations “threatened,” though until recently, their status was “endangered.” Populations range-wide are believed to be at least 13,000, with more than 6,500 in the southeastern U.S. and Puerto Rico, mostly in Florida.
In 1991, there were just under 1,300 in Florida.
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is just one of two facilities outside Florida to participate in the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership, a collaboration of nonprofit, private, state and federal entities that monitor the health and survival of rehabilitated and released manatees.. The other facility is the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. awidmanneese@dispatch.com @Alissawidman