Wildlife · Tortuguero, Limón

Tortuguero Manatee Calf Airlifted in Costa Rica's First Such Rescue

On Jan. 5, 2026, a female Caribbean manatee calf about a month old was found alone on a beach in Tortuguero National Park and, after a failed attempt to return her to the sea, was flown to Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center in Alajuela. It's described as Costa Rica's first documented rescue of a manatee calf. By July she was in her best condition since arriving, but her long-term outcome and any release date remain uncertain.

By Pura-Verde.com Editors · Published October 30, 2026
Original report: The Tico Times: Costa Rica Rescues Orphaned Manatee Calf in Tortuguero (2026-01-07)

A baby manatee found alone on a Tortuguero beach in early January became the center of one of the most unusual wildlife rescues Costa Rica has attempted. The female calf, only about a month old, was flown across the country to a rehabilitation center, and by midsummer she was still alive and gaining strength. Whether she'll ever swim free again is still an open question.

What happened on the beach

Visitors spotted the calf stranded on the sand inside Tortuguero National Park around 8 a.m. on Jan. 5, 2026, and alerted park rangers, as The Tico Times reported two days later. Staff from the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) secured her and searched the nearby sea and canals for her mother for hours, without success.

The calf had no visible injuries, but SINAC said she "needed prompt attention due to its age and vulnerability." Rangers tried once to return her to the water. According to SINAC, quoted by Semanario Universidad, she stranded again within minutes, which ruled out an immediate release.

A flight to the Central Valley

That afternoon, the team chose an emergency airlift. Veterinarians stabilized the calf, and she was loaded onto a small plane bound for Juan Santamaría International Airport, then taken on to Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center (formerly Zoo Ave) in La Garita de Alajuela, Teletica reported. Veterinarian Isabel Hagnauer and biologist Marta Venegas from the center flew with her, according to La Nación.

The rescue brought together SINAC, the National Animal Health Service (SENASA), the Universidad Nacional (UNA), a private-sector partner and the rescue center. La Nación described it as the first documented rescue of a manatee calf in Costa Rica, and Rescate's own site calls her the first female manatee calf in the country's history rescued alive.

Why an orphaned manatee is so hard to raise

Caribbean manatees (Trichechus manatus) are slow, gentle plant-eaters that live in Costa Rica only on the Caribbean side, mostly in rivers, lagoons and seagrass areas. They can grow to about 3 meters and live 50 to 60 years, but mothers invest heavily in very few young.

UNA biologist Alexánder Gómez Lépiz, a manatee specialist, told Semanario Universidad that calves take one to two years to wean, and that's when they learn most of their behavior from their mothers. Without one, every skill has to be supported by people. In the first days, the biggest hurdle was getting the calf to drink from a bottle. Hagnauer explained that the formula, based on recipes used at rescue centers abroad, started very diluted and grew more concentrated day by day, because it can't fully match a mother's milk.

UNA's wildlife researchers, including its ICOMVIS wildlife institute, have studied manatees in Tortuguero for years, and the university shares long-term field data with the center under a cooperation agreement.

How she has done since January

• Jan. 12: Hagnauer described the calf as stable but still in a critical phase, under constant watch.
• Jan. 22: El Observador reported more activity and a good response to assisted feeding, about 15 days after the rescue.
• February: The calf was given a name. Teletica later identified her as Böena.
• July 18: At six months, Teletica reported that her caregivers considered her in the best physical shape since she arrived, and experts hoped she might return to the sea sooner than first expected. No release date was given.

We found no public update after July, so her current condition isn't confirmed. A successful rescue isn't the same as a successful release: hand-raised marine mammals need to learn to find food and avoid danger before they can survive on their own, and Semanario Universidad noted that this could take years.

Why it matters for Tortuguero

Manatees in Costa Rica face boat strikes, habitat loss and pollution, and they're rarely seen even by locals. The species was declared a symbol of Costa Rica's marine fauna in 2014. Every animal counts in a small population, which is why this rescue drew so many institutions together. Our guide to wildlife rescue centers in Costa Rica explains what centers like Rescate do for animals that can't survive on their own.

If you visit Tortuguero's canals by boat, ask your guide to keep speeds low in shallow, grassy areas where manatees feed. If you see a stranded marine mammal anywhere in Costa Rica, keep people and dogs back, don't push it into the water, and call SINAC's environmental hotline at 1192. You can read about how responders are training officials to care for rescued wildlife, or find centers on our wildlife rescue map.

Frequently asked questions

Are there manatees in Tortuguero?

Yes. Caribbean manatees live in Tortuguero's rivers, canals and coastal lagoons, but they're shy and seldom seen. Costa Rica's manatees are found only on the Caribbean side.

Where is the rescued Tortuguero manatee now?

As of the last public update in July 2026, the calf, named Böena, was in intensive care at Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center in La Garita de Alajuela.

Will the baby manatee be released?

That's the goal, but it isn't guaranteed. Calves normally stay with their mothers for one to two years, and experts said rehabilitation could take a long time. No release date had been announced.

What should I do if I find a stranded manatee in Costa Rica?

Keep your distance, keep others away, don't try to drag it into the sea, and report it right away to SINAC through the 1192 hotline.

Sources and original reporting

1. The Tico Times: Costa Rica Rescues Orphaned Manatee Calf in Tortuguero (2026-01-07)
2. Teletica: En avioneta: vea aquí el traslado de cría de manatí encallada en Limón (2026-01-05)
3. La Nación: Traslado aéreo inédito salva a cría de manatí (2026-01-06)
4. Semanario Universidad: Cría de manatí rescatada en Tortuguero se mantiene estable, pero el regreso a su hábitat natural podría tomar años (2026-01-12)
5. Delfino.cr: Una segunda oportunidad para el manatí (2026-01-12)
6. El Observador: Cría de manatí rescatada en Tortuguero evoluciona positivamente y muestra mayor actividad (2026-01-22)
7. Teletica: Cría de manatí cumple seis meses en cuidados intensivos (2026-07-18)
8. Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center: home page

We wrote this story from the published reports and official sources above. We didn't interview the people named unless the story says so.