How three tiny orphaned baby manatees found swimming alone in Florida were flown to Ohio via DHL to be fattened up before their release back into the wild

Three tiny baby manatees were found swimming alone in shallow waters in Florida before being rescued and flown a thousand miles to the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio.

After the years-long rehabilitation, Calliope, Soleil, and Piccolina finally achieved their goal weight of at least 600 pounds recently, making them eligible for release back into the wild.

The three manatees, all female, were discovered in southwest Florida in the spring and summer of 2021, when the massive seagrass that manatees rely on for food died off. 

While manatees typically weigh about 65 pounds at birth, Soleil was 53 pounds, Calliope was 62, and Piccolina was only 44 pounds when found.

Nearly three years after their rescue, the baby manatees embarked on a journey back to Florida, where they were released into the Crystal River National Wildlife Sanctuary last month.

Three tiny baby manatees were found swimming alone in shallow waters in Florida before being rescued and flown a thousand miles to the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio

After the years-long rehabilitation, Calliope, Soleil, and Piccolina finally achieved their goal weight of at least 600 pounds recently, making them eligible for release back into the wild

Nearly three years after their rescue, the baby manatees embarked on a journey back to Florida, where they were released into the Crystal River National Wildlife Sanctuary last month

 Immediately after the rescue, Calliope, Soleil, and Piccolina were sent to the David A. Straz, Jr. Manatee Critical Care Center at ZooTampa in Florida and were cared for together for a year.

The mass die-off of seagrass, severe weather, and red tide led to the deaths of hundreds of emaciated Florida manatees in 2021.

'Obviously some sort of trauma happened,' Molly Lippincott, who manages Florida species at ZooTampa, told the New York Times. 

After months of bottle feeding and intensive care, Piccolina was already 375 pounds, Calliope was over 400 and Soleil came in at 475 by November 2022. 

But they needed to hit that 600-pound milestone to be considered for release back into the wild, according to keepers at the Cincinnati Zoo, one of three facilities outside Florida that can take in manatees that need to get bigger. 

Calliope, Soleil, and Piccolina had to travel a thousand miles to Ohio in 2022, when the critical care facilities in Florida were at capacity.

The manatees were fed every four hours, dining on romaine, endive, kale, escarole, green leaf lettuce, napa cabbage and bok choy - all arranged on the bottom of the tank to imitate seagrasses. 

Keepers at the Cincinnati Zoo said Calliope was curious, involved, and has 'no personal space'. 

'[Calliope] wants to be in all the business that's going on in the tank,' one of her keepers, Remy Romaine, said. 

Soleil is 'sweet and easygoing,' as keeper Tara Lay called her 'Our big chunk-a-munk'. Piccolina, the smallest among the three adopted sisters, is a bit shy. 

Eleven months later, the manatees had grown twice as heavy - big and strong enough to return to their native Florida waters. 

The manatees were fed every four hours, dining on romaine, endive, kale, escarole, green leaf lettuce, napa cabbage and bok choy - all arranged on the bottom of the tank to imitate seagrasses

After months of bottle feeding and intensive care, Piccolina was already 375 pounds, Calliope was over 400 and Soleil came in at 475 by November 2022

Calliope, Soleil, and Piccolina had to travel a thousand miles to Ohio in 2022, when the critical care facilities in Florida were at capacity 

Eleven months later, the manatees had grown twice as heavy - big and strong enough to return to their native Florida waters

Zoo workers in Cincinnati had to drain their pool and shifted each manatee onto a stretcher with poles that imitate a hammock. 

The three manatees were marked with their initials, lifted, and carefully placed in a padded crate with eight inches of foam. They looked calm throughout the process, according to experts. 

James Powell, a manatee expert and executive director of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute said: 'There's something about them that, I think, instills a sense of peacefulness in people. They're almost Buddha-like.'

About 30-minute drive from the zoo is DHL's national hub, as the shipping company has become a go-to courier for flying manatees from Ohio to Florida. 

Joe Collopy, a senior director at DHL who oversees the animal moves, said: 'You're part of something different, right? The goal is every one of them getting back to where they were. And that makes it special.'

Calliope, Soleil, and Piccolina, along with five other manatees cared for by the Columbus Zoo, boarded the flight to their home in Tempa February. 

A veterinarian and a caretaker on the flight regularly checked on them to ensure they were breathing. 

Most manatees rest on their bellies, but Calliope prefers to lie on her back. The animals remained calm in transport.

The three manatees were marked with their initials, lifted, and carefully placed in a padded crate with eight inches of foam. They looked calm throughout the process, according to experts

Calliope, Soleil, and Piccolina, along with five other manatees cared for by the Columbus Zoo, boarded the flight to their home in Tempa February

A veterinarian and a caretaker on the flight regularly checked on them to ensure they were breathing

Keepers Romaine and Lay(pictured) traveled with the trio too, as they weighed the manatees and performed medical exams for the last time before the release

Everything went smoothly during the two-hour flight, except for one thing – there was an unusual smell.

“There is a smell. They’re defecating,” Dr. Jenny Nollman, a vet at the Cincinnati Zoo who was on the flight said. 

'It is the animals' temperament that helps a lot. They just stay chill and don't freak out,' said Dr. Nollman. 

Keepers Romaine and Lay traveled with the trio too, as they weighed the manatees and performed medical exams for the last time before the release. 

The keepers farewelled Calliope first, as Lay said: 'Bye Calliope! I love you! Please be good.' 

Soleil was released an hour later and Piccolina next day, as they joined dozens of wild manatees in the warm spring of the Crystal River. 

Each manatee was equipped with a tracking device. Experts said that the trio found each other in the water, but eventually drifted apart.