From a Rare Baby Manatee Calf Birth to the 7th Critically Endangered Eastern Bongo, the Zoo Celebrates these Important Conservation Milestones
Babies, babies, and more babies! ZooTampa at Lowry Park’s 2026 baby boom continues across the park with a new wave of adorable arrivals. The latest birth is a female manatee calf, named Beatrix, born at the David A. Straz, Jr. Manatee Critical Care Center. The mother, PneumaThurman, a 1,230-pound manatee, was rescued on June 5 from the Manatee River in Manatee County after sustaining a watercraft injury. The calf, who weighed approximately 76 pounds at birth, marks the first manatee birth at the Zoo in more than a decade. Despite the mother’s continued critical condition and need for specialized treatment, the pair are bonding successfully and are being closely monitored by the Zoo’s expert animal care and veterinary teams.
On the other side of the Zoo, the Africa team welcomed a critically endangered Eastern bongo calf on July 3. The female calf, named Liberty, weighed 38 pounds and stood about two feet tall at birth. Both mother and calf are reported to be healthy and bonding well. This marks the seventh Eastern bongo birth at the zoo since 2021, contributing to the conservation of a species with fewer than 100 individuals remaining in the wild due to habitat loss and poaching. The bongo joins 2 other bongo calves, two southern white rhinos, 2 impalas, and 2 nyalas, all born earlier this year.
The ZooTampa bird team also celebrates a multitude of hatchings, including four critically endangered Bali mynah chicks, whose wild population is estimated to be fewer than 100. Additionally, the team welcomed three African spoonbill chicks and six green-naped lorikeet chicks.
The births of these species, many of which are listed as critically endangered, endangered or threatened, highlight the Zoo’s ongoing conservation efforts and commitment to saving species.
Click here for pictures and video.https://zootampa.box.com/s/hm9936cqpfjcicoqd6auhj6d4unqgar1
