The sea cows Romeo and Juliet, after approximately 60 years in captivity, are set to be transferred to a more spacious facility where they will receive better care.
Juliet the manatee (left) and another manatee named Phoenix swim in the Miami Seaquarium in Key Biscayne, Florida, in 2014. (Photo: Alan Diaz/AP)
The 67-year-old male manatee Romeo and the 61-year-old female manatee Juliet have lived in the Miami Seaquarium, Florida, since they were juveniles. However, their decades-long captivity in increasingly poor conditions is soon coming to an end thanks to the intervention of federal wildlife agencies and an animal rights advocacy campaign. They will be moved to a facility with more space, as shared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) with the Guardian on December 1.
According to the organization UrgentSeas, the couple Romeo and Juliet have been separated for several months and are enduring “horrific captivity.” Last month, this organization posted a video on social media platform X showing Romeo swimming alone in the cramped circular tank of the Miami Seaquarium, which garnered over 3.3 million views. Manatees are social animals and suffer psychologically when they are unable to live in groups or pairs, but Romeo has been left alone, UrgentSeas reported.
The FWS is also reviewing a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released last fall, which highlighted numerous violations by Miami Seaquarium regarding veterinary care, staff qualifications, and animal confinement conditions. Romeo, Juliet, and a younger unnamed manatee will be relocated together. All of them face health issues, and the relocation has been assessed as “high risk”, but it is deemed necessary for their future health.
Footage recorded in November 2023 shows manatee Romeo living alone in a small tank. (Video: UrgentSeas)
Notably, Romeo has health and dietary issues that require careful attention, meaning he is unlikely to be released back into the wild. His tank has lacked adequate shade for at least 10 days, forcing him to be exposed to harmful direct sunlight. Another serious violation is that he has been left without companions since three younger manatees that lived with him were released into the ocean last spring.
The relocation of the manatees is expected to take place around the middle of this month, as early as next week. The FWS has not disclosed the final destination for the group of manatees, but the goal is to move them to a facility that provides space for them to swim with other manatees and receive specialized care.
