Despite not having a mother to look after it, the young manatee grew up to become a gracious aquatic dweller

Apr 11, 2015 09:44 GMT  ·  By

Just to put you in the mood for the weekend, here's a story about how, with the help of dedicated caretakers at the River Safari zoo in Singapore, a baby manatee managed to survive and thrive despite being abandoned by its mom. 

The young manatee, named Canola, was born back in August 2014 to a 23-year-old female named Eva. Its mother rejected it shortly after delivery and so staff at River Safari had no choice but become the baby manatee's adoptive parents.

During its first few months of life, the young marine mammal had to be closely watched round the clock and bottle fed every two to three hours starting bright and early in the morning and up until late at night, Zoo Borns informs.

As the young manatee grew, its caretakers introduced it to vegetables. Although it still feeds on a special formula similar to its mother's milk every once in a while, Canola will eventually switch to snacking on veggies alone.

While still very young, Canola was kept in a pool separate from the rest of its family, just to make sure that it would not be accidentally injured by its relatives. Towards the end of last year, however, it was introduced to its herd.

The manatee is now in good health condition and appears to very much enjoy swimming around with others of its kind. Its caretakers expect it will become a distinguished member of its herd and even have calves of its own one day.

Manatees are listed as a vulnerable species
Manatees are listed as a vulnerable species

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Baby Canola
Manatees are listed as a vulnerable species
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