One of the world’s oldest manatees has died, four months after being rescued from desolate conditions at the infamous Miami Seaquarium.
ZooTampa officials in Lowry Park announced the death of 65-year-old manatee Juliet on Sunday after showing worsening health conditions over the past week.
Juliet and her partner Romeo were rescued from the Miami Seaquarium in December after drone footage showing Romeo circling a deteriorating pool went viral.
‘Juliet was a beloved animal, who captured the hearts of many people around the world. We are frequently contacted by animal care professionals, veterinarians and even the general public, who credit him with instilling a passion for these gentle sea cows,” said Dr. Cynthia Stringfield, senior vice president of animal health, conservation and education at ZooTampa.
“For more than four months, both Romeo and Juliet had successfully adapted to their new environments in the zoo’s rehabilitation pools and were socializing with other manatees. Romeo continues to thrive.”
ZooTampa officials announced that Juliet, one of the world’s oldest manatees, has died.
Julieta and her companion Romeo were rescued from the Miami Seaquarium in December
Juliet, 65, died on Sunday after her health conditions deteriorated over the past week.
The Miami Seaquarium said Romeo and Juliet were “rescued in 1956” and are “local celebrities” at the aquarium where they lived for 66 years.
Romeo was dubbed “America’s loneliest manatee” after a viral video showed him alone in a tank while his partner, Juliet, with whom he shared several offspring, was kept in a separate “celebrity” tank at the main site. .
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava terminated the lease for the troubled Seaquarium in March after the U.S. Department of Agriculture found it had “numerous and significant violations and noncompliance.”
The eviction deadline was set for Sunday, but Miami Seaquarium defied the order and is fighting Miami-Dade County in federal court, reported Local10 News.
The Seaquarium is seeking $35 million in damages and claims the eviction was forced without a plan for the animals.
The Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership successfully transported three manatees (Romeo, Juliet and Clarity) from Miami Seaquarium to SeaWorld Orlando and ZooTampa in December.
Transportation was a tremendous struggle due to the size, weight and health of the animals.
But accompanied by specialized vehicles and an experienced team of veterinarians and animal care specialists, the three made the trip safely.
‘When Juliet arrived at the zoo there were many aspects of her general health that were unknown. “She was an unusually large animal, weighing 3,045 pounds and her age was estimated at more than 65 years, making her one of the oldest known manatees,” Stringfield said.
Their move to ZooTampa was part of a broader operation that state and federal wildlife officials said had been in the works for months between government and private care facilities across Florida.
Video of Romeo swimming sadly in his tankTaken by campaign group UrgentSeas, it sweeps through a desolate area of ​​the park before approaching the lone figure, spinning in circles in the murky waters.
UrgentSeas co-founder Phil Demers claimed Romeo had been alone in the tank at the ‘Pompano Pools’, which are closed to the public, since at least last April.
Romeo’s plight was picked up by 11-time World Surf League champion Kelly Slater, who called on people to pressure the Florida aquarium to release him.
Romeo was dubbed ‘America’s loneliest manatee’ after viral video showed him alone in a tank
The video of Romeo swimming forlornly in his tank, filmed by campaign group UrgentSeas, sweeps across a desolate area of ​​the park before zooming in on the lone figure.
Slater told DailyMail.com: ‘I’m always confused and sad when I see these stories. For context, I don’t know how the manatee ended up in the aquarium or if there’s any reason it can’t be returned to the wild, but what I think is that manatees are very social and very free creatures, who roam great distances. throughout the state of Florida.
‘They are the friendliest creatures in the world and a great and recognizable mammal in our state.
“It seems the most humane thing to do to return these animals to their rightful place in the wild, along with cetaceans of all kinds that should not be in captivity unless they are seriously injured and unable to return to the wild and have quality of life.” “. ‘ he said.
“I grew up swimming and admiring manatees my entire life and it would be a cool story to see this manatee return safely to live out his days in the wild.”
Demers said Romeo had been “completely alone” at the “prohibited” Pompano pools that are closed to the public.
He added: ‘Manatees are semi-social animals and suffer psychologically when they don’t live in pairs or groups. But Romeo is left alone. All the time.’
Manatees can live to an estimated age of 60 years in the wild, but they may live longer in captivity.
In a report, the Department of Agriculture cited the Miami Seaquarium for alleged poor animal care and staffing problems, and criticized them for their treatment of Romeo.
The report said Romeo had been housed alone in his enclosure because the three other manatees he lived with were released into the wild in the spring.
And despite numerous attempts to acquire another manatee, the Seaquarium did not meet the requirements to do so.
The report notes: ‘Although numerous attempts have been made to acquire another manatee, it was determined that the facility was not yet eligible to receive another animal.
“Manatees are semi-social animals and do best medically and psychologically when housed in pairs or groups.”
In March 2022, the lease for the site was transferred to Dolphin Company. Since then, the Department of Agriculture has issued a series of violation warnings and found injured and endangered animals.
A report accused the aquarium of problems with inadequate veterinary care, animal handling, facilities and critical separation.
The dolphins were found to have eaten cement and zip ties, while one had broken ribs after an attack.
The Department of Agriculture cited the Miami Seaquarium for alleged insufficient animal care and staffing problems, and criticized them for their treatment of Romeo.
The Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership successfully transported three manatees (Romeo, Juliet and Clarity) from the Miami Seaquarium to SeaWorld Orlando and ZooTampa in December.
Transportation was a tremendous struggle due to the size, weight and health of the animals.
The report said the facility “failed to provide adequate equipment or services to ensure adequate veterinary care” and failed to “maintain a marine mammal enclosure in good repair and protect animals from injury.”
Romeo was being held in the same Seaquarium where the orca Lolita died in March of this year.
Lolita was once dubbed the “world’s loneliest whale” and died at age 57, just months before her scheduled retirement.
Experts and concerned individuals had long protested against Lolita’s captivity conditions, including the size of her 80-foot-long, 35-foot-wide tank, the smallest of its kind in the United States.
Just 10 years after Lolita arrived at the aquarium, her companion Hugo died of an aneurysm caused by repeated head trauma, earning him the title of the world’s loneliest whale.
Lolita was the oldest whale in captivity at the age of 56 and performed until 2022 when she was finally retired after becoming ill.