Powell, OH – Manatees, Agua and Goober, began their journey back to Florida late Monday night upon completion of their rehabilitation at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium after being rescued as orphans off the coast of Florida.
A member of the Zoo’s animal care team, along with one of the Zoo’s staff veterinarians, traveled with Agua and Goober, and confirmed that they arrived safely at SeaWorld Orlando. There, both manatees will complete their final preparations to be returned to the areas in Florida from which they were initially rescued.
Female manatee, Agua, arrived at the Columbus Zoo on September 29, 2017 when she was 18 months old. Agua and her mother were brought to Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo on June 24, 2016 after Agua’s mother was struck by a boat near Clearwater, Fla. Unfortunately, Agua’s mother succumbed to her serious injuries on August 12, 2016. After Agua’s condition was stabilized and she received additional care from the team at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo for over a year, Agua moved to Central Ohio to continue her rehabilitation journey and eventual return to Florida waters.
Male manatee, Goober, arrived at the Columbus Zoo from SeaWorld Orlando during the early morning hours of October 18, 2017. Goober was rescued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) from Desoto Canal in Indian Harbour Beach and was found in poor body condition. He was so thin when he was found that the rescue team thought his shape resembled a peanut. They affectionately named him Goober, after a Southern nickname for “peanut.”
In addition to Agua and Goober, twin manatees, Millennium and Falcon, returned to Florida earlier this fall. They are completing final preparations at the Miami Seaquarium before they soon return to the area in the Florida Keys from where they were found.
With Agua, Goober, Millennium, and Falcon now in Florida, the Columbus Zoo is currently caring for three manatees: Heavy Falcon, Carmen, and long-term resident, Stubby. Due to the extensive injuries she received from a boat strike, Stubby is a conditionally non-releasable animal. Her condition is evaluated every five years to determine if she is ready or not to return to Florida, but it is unlikely that she will move out of this category. Instead, she has often assumed the role of a surrogate mother looking after the other manatees and is the first to greet newcomers during their introduction to the Zoo’s Manatee Coast habitat.
“Each manatee who comes under our care is extremely special to us and while we miss them when they return to Florida, we also realize just how important each manatee is to the overall manatee population. We are very proud to participate in the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership, through which we are able to make a positive difference in the lives of these amazing individual manatees while also protecting their species’ future,” said Becky Ellsworth, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium’s Shores region curator.
As part of the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP), the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is a second stage rehabilitation facility that provides a temporary home for manatees until they are ready for release back to the wild.
The MRP is a cooperative group of non-profit, private, state, and federal entities who work together to monitor the health and survival of rehabilitated and released manatees. Information about manatees currently being tracked is available at www.manateerescue.org. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium was the first program partner outside of the state of Florida and is one of only two facilities outside of Florida to care for manatees.
The threatened Florida manatee is at risk from both natural and man-made causes of injury and mortality, including entanglement in or ingestion of fishing gear, crushing by flood gates or locks, and exposure to cold stress, disease, boat strikes, and red tide.
In August 2018, Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency due to impacts of red tide—a toxic algae bloom—in several counties. Though red tide events have occurred historically in Florida for centuries, in more recent years these events have grown significantly in scale and duration, suspected by researchers to be exacerbated by human activities. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission found that this year, red tide is affecting approximately 145 miles of Florida’s coastline, negatively impacting the state’s tourism industry and resulting in widespread fatalities of manatees, dolphins, fish, sea turtles, and other marine species. The governor’s action resulted in some additional funding to support MRP’s work, and the MRP continues to monitor the red tide event closely while remaining in frequent communication with State of Florida biologists and officials. As part of this collaboration, each manatee release is coordinated carefully to help the manatees avoid areas impacted by red tide. Additionally, the MRP employees a full-time biologist who travels throughout the state to check on the tracked manatees previously released as part of the MRP program to ensure they are not in need of assistance.
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium also supports field conservation projects for three of four living species of manatees through its Conservation Fund. Providing grants to researchers on three continents (North America, South America and Africa), the Zoo contributes to rescue and rehabilitation in Florida, environmental education focused on the Amazonian manatee in Colombia, and critical population surveys for the least known species: the West African manatee.
For the latest news about the manatees, follow the Columbus Zoo on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For more information about the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, please visit ColumbusZoo.org.
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About the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
Home to more than 10,000 animals representing over 600 species from around the globe, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium leads and inspires by connecting people and wildlife. The Zoo complex is a recreational and education destination that includes the 22-acre Zoombezi Bay water park and 18-hole Safari Golf Course. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium also manages The Wilds, a 10,000-acre conservation center and safari park located in southeastern Ohio. The Zoo is a regional attraction with global impact; annually contributing more than $4 million of privately raised funds to support conservation projects worldwide. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Columbus Zoo has earned Charity Navigator’s prestigious 4-star rating.
