What to Know
- According to the Seaquarium's website, Romeo was among the first two manatees brought to the facility in 1956.
- The aquarium also says that Romeo and Juliet, the manatee brought to the facility with him, were the first manatees to conceive offspring in human care.
- Among those who are questioning Romeo's captivity on social media is surfing great Kelly Slater.
Animal rights activists are calling for the removal of yet another animal from the Miami Seaquarium.
UrgentSeas, an animal rights organization, shared a video from Nov. 13 of 67-year-old manatee Romeo swimming in a small pool at the aquarium.
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The small pool is off-limits to the public. In their Instagram post, UrgentSeas wrote that Romeo has been living in isolation and deteriorating conditions. The Seaquarium says Romeo was among the first two manatees brought to the facility in 1956.
The Sequarium says on its website that Romeo and his mate, Juliet, were the first manatees to conceive offspring in human care.
Surfer great Kelly Slater also used his voice to speak out and reposted the drone footage on Instagram.
"This is crazy," he wrote. "Would be cool if everyone pressured Miami Seaquarium to let this 67-year-old manatee be free for the remainder of its life and have some companionship. Is there any reason it can't be released?"
In footage Chopper 6 took on Wednesday, the manatee is seen swimming around alone in that same tank.
After what happened to the beloved orca Lolita, animal advocates are speaking up more than ever. This all comes after a recent USDA inspection and report, which was filled with a number of violations and animal safety concerns at this aquarium. The county is giving the attraction less than two months to fix the issues and get things in order.
NBC6 reached out to Miami Seaquarium over a week ago about the status of this manatee and has not yet received a response.
