As a partner with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Manatee Rescue, Rehabilitation and Release Program, the Zoo is committed to the conservation of the endangered Florida manatee. The Program supports the goal of the Florida Manatee Recovery Plan to achieve a healthy, self-sustaining wild population that no longer requires protection.

More manatees suffer death from boat collisions, entanglement in fishing gear, cold stress, disease, and other causes than there are manatees born each year. The release of rescued and rehabilitated manatees is an important aspect of the population recovery process. The Zoo provides rehabilitation for manatees that require long-term care.

Orphaned as a calf, one of the Zoo’s manatees, Douglas, was released back into the wild on March 3, 2004. In preparation for the release, Douglas spent a few months becoming accustomed to living in saltwater and feeding on natural vegetation at the Miami Seaquarium. Wearing a tracking device, he was monitored closely, and recaptured in the winter due to weight loss. However, his second release in March, 2005, was successful, and Douglas has thrived in the wild.

Cincinnati's second long-time resident manatee, Stoneman, was released in 2006 and continues to be sighted occasionally with other manatees.

The two manatees currently housed at the Cincinnati Zoo are patiently waiting their names to be called up for release. Meanwhile, they serve as outstanding ambassadors for their species.