2 Orphaned Manatees Taken In By Bradenton’s Bishop Museum

BRADENTON, FL — The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature welcomed two orphaned manatees to its Parker Manatee Rehabilitation Habitat on Friday.

They’re the first manatees to be cared for at the museum since it returned three rehabilitated female manatees to the wild last month, according to a news release from The Bishop.

“Tober and Ripkin are settling in,” Virginia Edmonds, director of animal care at the museum said, “and as the weeks go on, we will continue to monitor their health and see how they adjust to their new, temporary environment.”

Ripkin, a juvenile male, was rescued in October from Ruskin Inlet in Ruskin. As an orphaned calf, he was suffering from a boat propeller injury when he was rescued, the museum said.

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At the time, he was about 5.4 feet long and weighed 201 pounds. Five months later, he weighs 310 pounds.

Tober is also a juvenile male. He was rescued as a newborn calf in October 2021 from Matlacha Pass in Cape Coral, the museum said.

While manatees usually weigh 60 to 80 pounds at birth, Tober, measuring 3.5 feet long, weight only 44 pounds when he was rescued, according to The Bishop. Today, he weighs 370 pounds.

Visitors to the museum can check out the progress of Tober and Ripken at the Parker Manatee Rehabilitation Habitat, a Stage 2 rehabilitation facility that serves as a temporary home for manatees. The museum usually takes in manatees after their initial critical-care needs have been met at manatee hospitals.

The Bishop’s manatee habitat offers them exposure to natural foods and feeding strategies while they gain weight ahead of their return to the wild.

“The goal in the rehabilitation of the manatees in our care is to provide an environment where they can thrive, leading to a timely return to the wild,” Mandy Choi, animal care specialist at The Bishop, said.

Including Tober and Ripken, The Bishop has cared for 46 rehabilitating manatees.