After welcoming a female rhinoceros in March 2024, the Vincennes zoo 's large family of residents expands once again, with thearrival of a large marine mammal on Tuesday March 26, 2024.
Coming from Beauval zoo, France's most famous zoo in the Loir-et-Cher département, where she was born two years ago, Unaï will join the Paris zoological park's large aquatic tank, already home to Tinus, Husar and Kaï, a female and two males of her species.
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Although Unaï was born and raised in captivity as part of a program to protect her species, in the waters of the Caribbean (the species' natural habitat, hence its name), manatees in the West Indies have disappeared and the species is considered "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Unaï's inclusion in the manatee tribe at Vincennes Zoo is not without purpose: the zoo is encouraging the species' reproduction, which is very slow for manatees. And with good reason: gestation in this animal species lasts a year, and can only take place every four or five years!
Did you know? What is the baby manatee's name?
The baby manatee is called a calf.
The Antillean manatee, or Caribbean manatee, is one of several manatee subspecies worldwide. Manatees can also be found in the Amazon, West Africa, etc. With an average height of 3 meters and a weight of up to one tonne for females, the manatee can live for almost fifty years. Hunted in the 20th century, the manatee gradually disappeared from Caribbean waters: now, programs are underway to reintroduce the species to Guadeloupe waters. Manatees, giants of the seas, are particularly visible from their tank in the zoological park: to meet Unaï, Tinus, Husar and Kaï, a trip to the Vincennes zoo is a must!
Location
Paris Zoological Park
Avenue Daumesnil
75012 Paris 12
Access
Porte Dorée metro station
Official website
www.parczoologiquedeparis.fr
