Collection: Manatee

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is one of a few U.S. Zoos outside of Florida that participate in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP). The goal of the program is to rescue and treat ill, injured and orphaned manatees and then release them back into the wild.

After rescue some manatees can be immediately released. Manatees that require for long-term rehabilitation are sent to other facilities for care, including the Cincinnati Zoo. Since 1999, the Cincinnati Zoo has rehabilitated 29 manatees, and 24 of those have been re-released. Information about manatees currently being tracked is available at www.ManateeRescue.org.