Manatee calves transferred to Florida for rehabilitation and release

Two orphaned manatee calves are undergoing rehabilitation and relocation processes as part of broader marine conservation efforts.

At EPCOT’s The Seas with Nemo & Friends, a young female manatee named Calfuccino has arrived for short-term rehabilitative care. Rescued near Naples in May 2025, Calfuccino has grown from 156 pounds to over 545 pounds following critical care at ZooTampa. Her care is managed through a partnership between Disney, the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to support the recovery of the threatened species.

In a separate effort, an orphaned calf known as Hundo has been flown from the Cincinnati Zoo back to Florida after nearly a year of recovery in Ohio. Having increased in weight from 150 pounds to 546 pounds, Hundo will continue rehabilitation at the Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens before an expected release into the wild. The transfer from Cincinnati also allows the zoo to begin care for three newly rescued calves: Tuglet, Smidge, and Zimomo.