Aging lonely manatees 'Romeo and Juliet' living in isolation in squalid tanks

04 December 2023 , 15:45

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Romeo swims alone in his small dirty pool (Image: urgentseas/Twitter)

Two ageing manatees named ‘Romeo and Juliet’ are finally set to be re-homed after spending 66 years cooped up in a deteriorating Florida theme park in complete isolation.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service said the pair would be moved to a new sanctuary after shocking video emerged of Romeo swimming alone in a dilapidated enclosure last month. The male sea cow, who is 67, and Juliet, who is 61, were both brought to Miami Seaquarium when they were babies in 1956, where they have lived ever since.

The business claims on its website to be a champion of “conservation and animal care”, with staff involved in “rescue and rehabilitation” programs. But heartbreaking drone video footage released by action group Urgent Seas seemed to show Romeo swimming alone in a small dirty-looking pool - sparking outrage from viewers.

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Now, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has told The Guardian newspaper that the pair will be rehomed to another nearby sanctuary. Urgent Seas cofounder Phil Demers confirmed the announcement on Twitter, saying he hoped the move would be “for the best”.

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He wrote: “It’s expected that Romeo, Juliette and another manatee will be removed from the awful Miami Seaquarium this week after 66 years of captivity. This is a high risk move but urgently necessary given their failing heaths and living conditions. Everyone hoping for the best!”

The manatee is set to be freed following a public outcry (urgentseas/Twitter)

The sad manatee has spent 66 years living at the same theme park (urgentseas/Twitter)

Urgent Seas took the shocking drone footage of Romeo swimming in his circular concrete tank, called a “pompano pool” and which measured roughly 12m (40ft) in diameter, on November 13 this year. And the video showed how the solemn sea creature, which is a semi-social animal and normally pairs up with mates, was living alone with just a rubber ring for company.

The clip provoked widespread anger on social media. And some even went as far as to call for Miami Seaquarium to be shut down altogether. One wrote, “Horrific. Get this poor guy outta there!” Another added, “I'm on team #freeromeo”. While a third simply said, “SHUT DOWN MIAMI SEAQUARIUM.”

Romeo swims alone in his small dirty pool (urgentseas/Twitter)

Romeo, a 67 year old manatee lives in complete isolation in ever deteriorating condition (urgentseas/Twitter)

Urgent Seas even won the backing of Eleven-time World Surf League champion Kelly Slater, who wrote on his Instagram page: “We must fight for Romeo!” in response to the video. Now the US government has intervened and plans to move the pair and another manatee to another nearby aquarium.

Manatees, which are an endangered species, average around 550kg (1200 pounds) in weight and feed off sea grass. The species are split into three different types: West Indian, West African, and Amazonian. And these are spread around different parts of the world.

The concrete pools where Romeo is being kept in squalid conditions (urgentseas/Twitter)

Drone footage showed the pool where Romeo is being kept (urgentseas/Twitter)

While they don’t have any natural predators, they are vulnerable to being injured by boats as they often feed close to the shoreline in shallow water. And they are now sadly regarded as vulnerable to extinction.

A Miami Seaquarium spokesperson told Mirror US: "At this moment we are evaluating along with the authorities and other partners the best option for our manatees."

Douglas Whitbread