The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium welcomed two manatee calves. Lizzo and Cardi-Tee. Lizzo and Cardi B reportedly inspired the gentle animals’ names.
According to a press release, the orphaned mammals—named after Grammy winners Lizzo and Cardi B—are among four manatees who arrived at the zoo. The two other calves were named after celebrity sisters MaryKate and Ashley. They were also transported from SeaWorld’s Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Orlando to DHL’s CVG Hub and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission rescued all four manatees as calves. Before transport, they had been in the care of rehabilitation experts for between 12 and 18 months.
SeaWorld’s Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Orlando required the relocation of the manatees to make more room at the rehabilitation center.
“This transport was necessary to make additional room for rescued manatees in need of emergency critical care at SeaWorld’s Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, which is one of only five manatee critical care facilities in the United States,” according to a news release.
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The calves joined five other manatees—Acorn, Einstein, Squirrel, Scampi, and Stubby—at the Columbus Zoo, marking the highest number of manatees ever housed at the facility.
The Columbus Zoo is one of only two facilities outside of Florida that could take in the manatees for rehabilitation. The press release says the zoo serves as a second-stage rehabilitation facility. The animals will receive care until they reach sufficient size and gain enough weight to survive independently. Then the manatees will return to their native waters in Florida.
Lizzo is constantly body-shamed online, causing some people to believe that the zookeepers who named the manatee after her were throwing shade. But, at the same time, others think they were honoring the superstar singer.
Lizzo and Cardi B have not yet responded to their names being given to manatees.
