The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is now home to a 365-pound manatee, Goober.
Goober is the 27th manatee to be rehabilitated at the zoo since the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership started back in 2001. He was rescued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission from Desoto Canal in Indian Harbour Beach last March. Goober was extremely thin, so thin that his rescue team thought he looked like the shape of a peanut.
Photo by Grahm S. Jones via Columbus Zoo and AquariumGoober is the second manatee to arrive at Manatee Coast this month. Aguq, twins Millenium and Falcon, and long-term resident Stubby welcomed Goober into the 300,000-gallon Manatee Coast pool.
Stubby suffered extensive injuries from a boat strike, so she can never return to the wild. But in her time at Manatee Coast, she has acted as a surrogate mother for several manatees, including Goober and Agua.
Photo by Grahm S. Jones via Columbus Zoo and Aquarium“We have been particularly busy at Manatee Coast over the course of the last month,” said Becky Ellsworth, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium’s Shores region curator. “These manatee arrivals and departures are incredibly exciting for our entire team because we can visibly see the difference that we are making for the species as we help to rehabilitate and return manatees to their native range.”
You can visit Goober and the other manatees at Manatee Coast in the Shores Region of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. For more information, please click here.
