Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo is well-known
for its ongoing work rescuing, rehabilitating, and releasing sick or injured
West Indian Manatees found in Florida waters.

Their most recent addition is an orphaned Manatee named Jobin.  He was just a few days old and weighed
just 55 pounds when he arrived at the zoo’s Manatee Hospital.  Now six weeks old, Jobin has gained almost 20
pounds! 

Photo Credit:  Lowry Park Zoo

West Indian Manatees, also known as
sea-cows, weigh up to 1,300 pounds as adults. 
Manatees are mammals – hence, they nurse their young and give birth to
live babies.  They feed on underwater
vegetation and inhabit coastal waters, estuaries, and freshwater springs.  Manatees prefer warm shallow waters and often
gather in large groups.

Manatees are listed as Vulnerable by
the International Union for Conservation of Nature.  They face threats from propeller strikes and
toxic algae blooms.

The Lowry Park Zoo works in partnership with the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, Florida Marine Research Institute, and the Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission to rescue, rehabilitate, and release injured
or sick Manatees.  The zoo’s Manatee Hospital
is one of three critical care facilities in Florida to care for West Indian Manatees
and the only non-profit facility.