Video shows 67-year-old manatee left alone in tank at Miami’s Seaquarium. Here's what we know
A heartbreaking video captured by a whistleblowing organization of an isolated manatee in a Florida aquarium is sparking nationwide outrage and prompting officials to take action.
In drone footage from animal advocacy group UrgentSeas, 67-year-old manatee named Romeo is seen swimming alone in a tiny tank at the Miami Seaquarium. Pieces of lettuce float by him as he's seen swimming in circles.
"Manatees are semi-social animals and suffer psychologically when not living in pairs or groups," the videos says. "But Romeo remains alone. All the time."
The footage was filmed on Nov. 13 and posted to social over the weekend, seeing over 2 million likes on TikTok and their tweet viewed by over 3 million as of Dec. 5. UrgentSeas identifies itself on social media as a “whistleblower organization exposing zoos and aquariums through direct action and advocacy.”
Two manatees named Romeo and Juliet been at park for nearly 70 years
According to The Guardian, Romeo and Juliet, 67 and 61 years old, havelived at the Miami Seaquarium sincethey were captured as calves in 1956.
Romeo’s tank is off limits to the public. On the aquarium's map, it shows the "Manatee Exhibit" in the middle of the park. It doesn't name what manatees are in the exhibit.
US Fish and Wildlife Service says the manatees will be relocated soon
According to Local 10 reporters, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed that the organization is working with “an experienced team of manatee rescue and rehabilitation experts to assist with the transport effort of manatees from Miami Seaquarium.”
UrgentSeas said on social media that the department is expected to remove Romeo, Juliet, and another manatee from the Miami Seaquarium to a Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership facility within the next week.
Aquarium has history of controversy, failed inspections
This is not the first time the aquarium has seen negative attention within the past year.
Back in September, the US Department of Agriculture published a report that accused the Seaquarium of multiple failures, including veterinary care, staffing levels and conditions in which its animals are housed.
The report noted a roughly 56-year-old orca Tokitae (named Lolita when performing) was meant to be released from the aquarium, but she died in August before the transfer could take place. Animal rights activists had complained about her treatment and accommodation over the years, with PETA bringing attention that her tank was only four times the length of her body.
The Guardian also noted major failures listed in the USDA report as the ingestion by a dolphin of a plastic zip tie and chunk of cement from a flaking pool floor; unexplained rib injuries to the same dolphin; a different dolphin biting a child’s hand during a “meet and greet” for tourists; and chronic understaffing resulting in a single veterinarian being left responsible for 46 marine mammals and hundreds of birds, fish, sharks and rays.
Miami Seaquarium has until Dec. 15 to rectify the issues in the USDA report.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Florida aquarium had manatee isolated in tiny Miami Seaquarium tank
