ORLANDO, Fla. — SeaWorld Orlando transferred four manatee calves to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium for rehabilitation, freeing space to treat more of the threatened sea mammals that have been dying in Florida at an alarming rate.
SeaWorld said DHL Express donated its services, including the flight, to transport the manatees — named Lizzo, Cardi-Tee, MaryKate, and Ashley — from SeaWorld’s rescue and rehabilitation center to the zoo in Powell on Saturday.
DHL transported the manatees in custom-built containers and they were monitored throughout the flight by a Columbus Zoo veterinarian.
SeaWorld said it has been getting a record number of manatees needing treatment at its center, one of only five critical care facilities for manatees in the U.S.
There were 1,101 reported manatee deaths in Florida, almost double the five-year average.
Zoo officials say the manatees are at risk from natural and man-made threats, especially starvation due to depletion of seagrass — their primary food source — along with cold stress, illnesses and injuries from boat strikes and entanglement or ingestion of fishing gear.