At the Miami Seaquarium, two manatees aged 67 and 61 kept captive since 1956, have finally been freed from the “ever deteriorating conditions” of the Miami Seaquarium and moved to a sanctuary.
According to Urgent Seas, a whistleblower organization exposing zoos and aquariums through direct action and advocacy, federal wildlife officials and a public campaign demanded the animals, also known as “sea cows,” to be freed. Romeo, the older manatee and Juliet had been at the Florida theme park since they were “rescued” as young calves.
The manatees have been transferred to Zoo Tampa and SeaWorld Orlando. A third manatee, named Clarity joined the pair in the move. Clarity had been at the Seaquarium since 2009.
The operation involved both state and federal wildlife officials between the government and private care facilities. The manatees were loaded into specialized transport vehicles and were accompanied by a team of manatee specialists. They are now undergoing thorough veterinary examinations.
Many thanks to the ManateesRescue.org.
Now that these manatees are relocated to new homes, there’s an opportunity for them to become figureheads of resilience — and companions for other rescued manatees in rehab.
Patrick Rose, an aquatic biologist and executive director of Save the Manatee Club.
Facebook via Zoo Tampa
It was at Seaquarium where Lolita, the famous killer whale (aka Tokitae or Toki), while plans to relocate her back to the Pacific, died August 18 after spending 53 years in captivity.
(Photos via FB Zoo Tampa, Miami Seaquarium)
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THIS IS AMAZING! EVERYONE, PLEASE ALSO HELP THE OTHER MANATEES IN NEED!
“STAGGERING” NUMBERS NEED YOU!