CINCINNATI — The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is hosting two of a trio of orphaned manatees who have found temporary homes in Ohio.
A male calf named Heavy Falcon and an unnamed female calf also arrived Tuesday at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden welcomed a 1-year-old female calf Tuesday.
The new additions in Columbus join four other manatees at the zoo’s 300,000-gallon Manatee Coast exhibit and could be visible to the public immediately.
The pair are the 28th and 29th manatees to be rehabilitated at the Columbus Zoo since the Zoo’s involvement in the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership began in 2001.
The 143-pound male calf is named “Heavy Falcon” – a nod to the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launch that took place on February 6, which was also the day he was rescued. Heavy Falcon was found as an orphan in Crystal River, Fla., taken to SeaWorld Orlando to begin his rehabilitation journey.
The female calf does not yet have a name and was rescued on February 8, 2018 with her mother off the coast of Florida. Her mother succumbed to her serious injuries just two days after her rescue, leaving the female calf an orphan.
Cincinnati Zoo staff says their calf will be named Daphne They say she is swimming and interacting with three orphaned males at the zoo’s Manatee Springs. Visitors will be able to see the group Thursday.
The hope is the manatees will be returned to their natural habitats in Florida.