At Beauval, a 34 kg baby manatee joins the group and sets a birth record

A birth discovered on the morning of 29 August

A young female manatee was born at ZooParc de Beauval during the night of 28 to 29 August 2026. Her mother, Aceituna, had been placed in a small pool away from the group at the Equatorial Dome to provide her with a calm environment before giving birth. Keepers discovered the newborn beside her the following morning.

For several weeks, the teams had observed physical and behavioural changes in Aceituna indicating that the end of her pregnancy was approaching. On 28 August, her waters broke at around 5.45 pm. By 8 pm, the calf had not yet been born. The birth therefore took place during the night, before the keepers arrived in the morning.

The pool had become available after Pépino, a young male born at Beauval on 17 April 2023, left for Pairi Daiza in Belgium. Aceituna moved into it immediately. This arrangement made it possible to prepare a separate space for the female as the signs of birth became clearer.

A young female already remarkably robust

The calf’s sex was confirmed visually the following morning: she is female. The first measurements, taken on 1 September by the animal care and veterinary teams, confirmed her unusual size. She weighs 34 kg, measures 1.30 metres and has a chest circumference of 77.5 centimetres.

This weight is a record for a manatee birth at Beauval. Moana weighed 33 kg at birth in September 2023, while Gwada weighed around 30 kg in November of the same year. A baby manatee usually weighs around 20 kg and measures more than one metre at birth.

The young female’s weight is all the more noteworthy because Aceituna has a slimmer build than some of the other females in the group. However, the initial checks have raised no concerns: the newborn is doing well and is moving around peacefully alongside her mother.

Aceituna cares for her second calf

Born on 2 March 2016 in Madrid, Aceituna arrived at Beauval in July 2020. This is her second birth. She had previously given birth to Unaï on 23 January 2022, a female now living at Paris Zoological Park.

Keepers describe very attentive maternal behaviour. Aceituna keeps her calf close and regularly positions herself to make it easier for her to reach the mammary glands, located beneath the flippers. This closeness is essential during the first days, while the young female finds her bearings in the pool.

For now, the pair lives in the small pool at the Equatorial Dome. ZooParc de Beauval features manatees, pygmy hippos, Douc langurs and Komodo dragons in this area dedicated to several animal species.

Breathing, swimming and nursing from the very first hours

From her very first hours, the young female displayed the expected behaviours. She surfaced on her own to breathe and follows her mother around the pool. Her trips to the surface are still very frequent, but her ability to hold her breath should gradually develop over the coming weeks.

The calf also positions herself properly to nurse and is particularly active. She took in colostrum naturally and quickly enough. No food supplement or bottle feeding was required, an encouraging step for the teams responsible for monitoring her.

Enhanced monitoring was provided for just over an hour on the first morning. After confirming that the young female was breathing, nursing and moving properly, keepers resumed standard daily monitoring. Her development will now be closely observed, particularly during weigh-ins.

A group once again made up of 16 manatees

Pépino’s departure had temporarily reduced Beauval’s group to 15 individuals. With this birth, it once again includes 16 Caribbean manatees, evenly divided between eight males and eight females. The new arrival therefore immediately strengthens the group housed at the Equatorial Dome.

Aceituna and her calf will remain temporarily separated from the rest of the group to preserve their calm and facilitate observations. A slight weight loss may occur in newborns during the first days. The teams will then monitor the stabilisation and subsequent increase in her weight.

If her development continues normally, integration with the rest of the group could be considered in around one month. The young female has not yet been given a name. Keepers must draw up a list of proposals before holding a vote within the team.

Beauval continues its work with a vulnerable species

Caribbean manatees have been present at ZooParc since 1997 and live in a 1,750 m³ pool at the Equatorial Dome. Beauval houses one of the largest groups of manatees visible in Europe and has recognised experience in the breeding and monitoring of the species.

This birth is the second recorded at Beauval in 2026, after Machtou, son of Lolita and Humboldt, was born on 12 January. It comes as part of the monitoring carried out by the teams for females and their calves during a crucial period in their development.

Classified as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, the Caribbean manatee is also part of an EAZA ex situ programme. This programme aims to maintain a genetically healthy population in European zoos and improve scientific knowledge of the species.

In the wild, the Caribbean manatee lives in the western Atlantic, from the coast of Brazil to the south-eastern United States, via the Caribbean and Central America. Mainly herbivorous, it feeds on seagrass and other aquatic plants. Its main threats are boat collisions, habitat degradation, pollution and fishing nets.