News and Stories

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden serves as a second-stage rehabilitation facility in the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP). Its role is to provide plenty of food, primarily lettuce, and veterinary care until the manatees are big and strong enough to be returned to Florida waters.

Orphaned manatees Calliope, Piccolina & Soleil were rescued in 2021 and lived at the Cincinnati Zoo for about a year for rehabilitation. Since they hit their goal weight of at least 6oo pounds, they were finally ready to be released back into Florida waters in 2024.

We are excited to share with you that MRP manatee Calliope has completed her monitoring period after her release and is considered a success. All of her gear was removed last week at Blue Spring State Park in Florida!

Calliope’s Release Journey

Calliope initially arrived at ZooTampa as an orphaned calf, with her umbilical cord still partially attached. Weighing only 62 pounds, she was one of the smallest manatee calves ever treated at ZooTampa’s Critical Care Center. After her initial stay at ZooTampa, Calliope moved to the Cincinnati Zoo for continued care, ensuring she remained happy and healthy before her release at Three Sisters Springs on February 13, 2024, where she weighed in at a remarkable 920 pounds. Shortly after her release, Calliope was rescued again in late March, as she had not left the area where she was initially released.

She returned to ZooTampa for further care before moving to Welaka National Fish Hatchery for pre-release conditioning, where she continued to struggle. Members of the MRP worked closely with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to discuss options for Calliope. Ultimately, they decided on a new release site to improve her chances. On February 11, 2025, Calliope returned to Florida waters at Blue Spring State Park, weighing 1,080 pounds.

After her second return to the wild, Calliope initially had difficulty venturing beyond Blue Spring. However, over time, researchers observed her behavior gradually improving. Each week, she became more comfortable in her surroundings, exploring and migrating with the changing seasons. This past winter, Calliope successfully found warm water during cold spells and learned to go out into the river to feed, demonstrating the appropriate behaviors of a wild manatee. With this progress in mind, the decision was made to end her monitoring period and consider her a success story of rescue, rehabilitation, and release.

Calliope at the Cincinnati Zoo

Over my career at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, I’ve taken care of 30 manatees, and Calliope stands out as the most unique.  She started out with the nickname “Nap Queen” because she would often be sleeping in odd positions.  She quickly switched to being the most playful, bold, and inquisitive manatees I’ve known.  She was the first to investigate anything new, which often meant the keepers had to stay on our toes to distract her with lettuce feeders.

Since all of our manatees are set to be released into the wild, we are limited in enrichment “toys” and try to keep things as natural as possible.  That didn’t stop Calliope from turning anything in her habitat into a toy!  I’ve never seen a manatee play with as much gusto as Calliope, and she’d often turn every part of the keeper area into a splash zone.

Because she was so unique, she really left a huge impact on her care team, and we were all so excited to see what she would do in the wild.  She definitely didn’t take to it right away as we had all hoped, and true to fashion, she kept a lot of people on their toes.  In the end, SO many folks in the MRP came together to help Calliope get to her graduation day, and her keepers at the Cincinnati Zoo could not be more thankful!

Manatee Conservation Success Takes a Team

Orphaned calf cases like Calliope’s require extensive collaboration among members of the MRP to encourage rehabilitation and a successful return to Florida waters. Calliope’s remarkable story of survival and resilience serves as an important reminder that it takes a village to protect and save Florida’s iconic species, such as the Florida manatee.

It is always a privilege to witness these calves succeed in the wild, interacting with other manatees and migrating as any wild manatee would. Join us in wishing Calliope a very happy graduation as she moves on from her tracking gear!