POWELL, Ohio – A female orphaned manatee calf, who arrived at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in April for rehabilitation, has received a name thanks to votes cast by the public through a naming opportunity, presented by Kroger. After much anticipation, the Zoo announced today that the winning name is…Carmen!
Each of the name options carried important significance to the state of Ohio, as well as Ohio’s link to preserving and protecting aquatic ecosystems. The name Carmen is a nod to “Carmen Ohio,” The Ohio State University's alma mater. Rooted in rich tradition, the song, which means “Song of Ohio” in Latin, is the oldest school song still used by the university and highlights—through time and change—the strong bonds of friendship.
“We are grateful to Kroger for collaborating with us on this naming opportunity and to the public for helping us determine the perfect name for her,” said Columbus Zoo President/CEO Tom Stalf. “Carmen is a very fitting name as she has already won the hearts of our animal care team members. We are proud to be able to offer assistance to this young manatee so she can receive a second chance at life and one day return to Florida waters, where through her name she will still carry with her a little piece of our Central Ohio community as she goes on to help protect the future of her species."
The clear favorite name was Carmen 2,376 votes, followed by Sloopy 1,944 votes, Trillium 1,300 votes, and Scioto 681 votes. The naming opportunity launched on June 8—World Oceans Day—and concluded on Friday, June 22 while garnering 6,301 votes representing 22 countries. The naming announcement took place in front of excited guests, who enjoyed watching one of the animal care team divers reveal the name underwater as the manatees looked on.
About the Columbus Zoo’s manatees:
Carmen was rescued as a young calf, along with her mother, on February 8, 2018 off the coast of Florida. When rescuers discovered them, they found that Carmen was showing signs of cold stress and her mother was negatively buoyant. Unfortunately, just two days after their rescue, Carmen’s mother succumbed to her serious injuries, leaving her an orphan. Carmen began to build up her strength while in the care of a team of experts at SeaWorld Orlando. Once she had stabilized, she and a young male calf named Heavy Falcon, who had also been rescued as an orphan, were transferred to the Columbus Zoo in April to continue their rehabilitation journeys before their eventual releases to Florida waters.
Now that she and Heavy Falcon have acclimated to their new temporary home in Ohio, their animal care team has gotten to know them better. Since the two young manatees spend so much time swimming together, they can be hard to tell apart. One way to determine which manatee is which is by looking at their tails – Heavy Falcon has a notch in his tail while the young female does not. The Columbus Zoo animal care team also notes that Carmen is more shy and cautious than some of the other manatees and that they especially love her sweet demeanor.
Carmen and Heavy Falcon have joined five other manatees in the Zoo’s 300,000-gallon Manatee Coast pool: Goober; rare twin manatees, Millennium and Falcon; Agua; and long-term resident, Stubby. Due to the extensive injuries she received from a boat strike, Stubby would not survive if she returned to her native range. Instead, she has often assumed the role of a surrogate mother looking after the other manatees and was the first to greet both Carmen and Heavy Falcon during their introductions to their new habitat.
Carmen is the 29th manatee to be rehabilitated at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium since the Zoo’s involvement in the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP) began in 2001.
As part of the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP), the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium serves as 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.wildtracks.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 exposure to red tide, cold stress, disease, boat strikes, crushing by flood gates or locks, and entanglement in or ingestion of fishing gear.
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium 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 manatee species: the West African manatee.
For more information about the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, please visit ColumbusZoo.org and follow the Columbus Zoo on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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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 operates 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.
