COLUMBUS — Three orphaned manatee calves have a new temporary home in Central Ohio. The females — Celine, Poplin and Gingham — arrived at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium on Wednesday, Oct. 14, to continue their rehabilitation, with the long-term goal of returning to Florida waters.
The Columbus trio was half of a six-calf transfer from SeaWorld Orlando. Three males — Smidge, Tuglet and Zimomo — traveled to Ohio the same day and are now settling in at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, giving both of the state’s manatee facilities a fresh group of young patients.
Celine’s progress shows how far these rescues can come. She was taken in as an emaciated orphan in August 2025 weighing just 48.5 pounds; by the time she left Florida this week, she weighed about 420 pounds — more than eight times her rescue weight.
At Columbus, the newcomers have joined Stubby, the zoo’s longtime resident manatee, in the Manatee Coast habitat. Resident animals often help young calves settle, and keepers will now oversee the calves’ continued growth, feeding and health checks during this next stage of care.
The transfers run through the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership, a cooperative network that works alongside the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Florida facilities such as SeaWorld Orlando handle the urgent first phase of care, stabilizing calves that arrive sick, injured or orphaned.
Ohio’s role comes next. Columbus and Cincinnati serve as second-stage rehabilitation centers — among the very few facilities outside Florida equipped for the work — providing temporary homes, food and veterinary care until the animals are strong enough to go back to Florida to prepare for release.
Florida manatees face a long list of threats in the wild, from loss of seagrass and red tide to cold stress, disease and boat strikes, which is why each successful rehabilitation matters for a threatened species. A calf that arrives weighing less than 50 pounds needs months of round-the-clock care before it can survive on its own.
For now, Celine, Poplin and Gingham will keep growing under keepers’ watch in Powell, far from the Florida springs where rescuers hope each of them will one day swim free again. Visitors to Manatee Coast may catch a first look at the zoo’s newest — and, for now, smallest — residents.
