Rescued Manatees Getting Released Back Into Wild After Successful Rehabilitation

Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor

Oct 23, 2020 10:00 AM EDT

Two orphaned manatees, Bananatee and Tostone, who were rescued as babies off the coast of Florida have successfully completed their rehabilitation and are now returning back home into the wild. Columbus Zoo, where they went through their rehabilitation, said in a tweet that on October 19th, the two manatees have traveled back to Florida and arrived safely at the Miami Seaquarium where they will go through their final preparations before getting released.

It's a beautiful end to a story of helping animals in need for no other purpose than to help them. When the manatees were first rescued, they were babies, one underweight for what it should be and the other showing signs of cold. Now, with the help they received, they are as healthy as ever.

As reported by Fox28, Tom Stalf, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium President/CEO, said: "It is always difficult for our devoted team to say goodbye to animals who have been in our care, but this is also a time to celebrate because the successful rehabilitation of Bananatee and Tostone is a true testament to the positive impact we've had not only on the lives of individual manatees, but also the manatee population as a whole. Bananatee and Tostone represent the 30th and 31st manatee that the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has rehabilitated since Manatee Coast opened in 1999, and we are extremely proud to be a part of the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership, working to help protect manatees' future."

We wish these gorgeous animals luck in their return back home and for them to live the full life that they should have from the very beginning. And we thank all those who helped them and wish them more success stories just like that of Bananatee and Tostone.

Check out pictures of the preparations for the release bellow! And for more successful rehabilitation stories, you can read about the one and only Tasmanian devil returning back to mainland Australia.

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