The loneliest manatee: Heartbreaking isolated existence of 67-year-old Romeo who is living out his twilight years alone in a tiny 30ft concrete pool in an ‘off-limits’ part of Miami Seaquarium

Rotating slowly in his small concrete tank in a restricted area of ​​the aquarium, Romeo the manatee is a picture of loneliness.

The 67-year-old had been at the Miami Seaquarium — the same center where “the world’s only whale,” Lolita, died earlier this year — since 1956, and activists say he has remained in isolation since at least April.

Manatees are semi-social animals and “suffer psychologically when they do not live in pairs or groups” – but Romeo has long been separated from his partner and mother of his offspring, Juliet, and has been alone since the release of his other companions.

Earlier this month, the USDA criticized the site’s operators, Dolphin Corporation, for their treatment of Romeo and overall poor care.

A video of Romeo miserably swimming in his tank – estimated to be just 30ft wide – went viral last week, with surfing legend Kelly Slater backing a campaign for his release, which quickly gained more than 20,000 signatures.

The video, shot by campaign group Urgent Seas, pans over a deserted area of ​​the park before zooming in on Romeo’s lone figure, spinning in circles in the murky water.

Phil Demers, co-founder of Urgent Seas, claims Romeo has been alone in the tank at Pompano Pools, which is closed to the public, since at least last April.

It’s not clear exactly how long he’s been alone, or why he can’t be with his partner, Juliette, but Demers said: “He broke up with Juliette a long time ago – I think it’s a parenting issue, and they’re not allowed to do that.” Manatees are born.

“He had company when the new manatees were brought in, but that was a long time ago.”

He shared the new video online, writing: “This video was taken on November 13, 2023, over the Miami Seaquarium.

“Romeo, a 67-year-old manatee, lives in complete isolation in ever-deteriorating conditions. We must fight for Romeo!”

Romeo’s plight was captured by 11-time World Surf League champion Kelly Slater who called on people to put pressure on the Florida aquarium to release him.

Kelly Slater told DailyMail.com: “I’m always baffled and sad when I see these stories. For context, I don’t know how the manatees ended up in the aquarium or if there’s a reason they can’t be released back into the wild but my thoughts on them are that manatees are very social creatures They are very free, and roam great distances throughout Florida.

“They are the cutest creatures in the world and are a great, iconic mammal in our state.” It seems like the humane thing to do is to return these animals to their rightful place in nature, along with cetaceans of all kinds that should not be in captivity at all unless they are seriously injured and unable to return to the wild and have a quality of life.

“I grew up swimming with and admiring manatees my whole life, and it will be a good story to see this manatee safely returned to live out its days in the wild.”

Sharing the video on Instagram, Slater said: “This is crazy. It would be great if everyone pushed #MiamiSeaquarium (no tags allowed) to let the 67-year-old manatee be free for the rest of his life and have some companionship. Is there any reason not to Possibility of his release?

The Miami Seaquarium Museum says on its website that Romeo and his partner Juliet were rescued in 1956 and are local celebrities in the aquarium where they lived for 66 years.

Romeo’s partner, Juliet, with whom he fathered several calves, is also still at the Seaquarium, but is kept in a separate “celebrity” tank on the main site.

But Demers claims Romeo remained “alone” in the “off-limits” Pompano Baths, closed to the public.

He added: “Manatees are semi-social animals and suffer psychologically when they do not live in pairs or groups.

But Romeo remains alone. All the time.’

Manatees can live between 50 and 60 years in the wild, and up to 65 years in captivity, making a large Romeo.

In a report released earlier this month, the USDA cited the Miami Aquarium for inadequate animal care and staffing problems — and criticized them for their treatment of Romeo.

Romeo was staying alone in his enclosure because the three other manatees he was living with were released back into the wild in the spring, the report said.

Despite numerous attempts to obtain another manatee, the Seaquarium has not met the requirements to do so.

“Despite numerous attempts to obtain another manatee, it has been determined that the facility has not yet met the requirements to receive another animal,” the report noted.

“Manatees are semi-social animals and do best medically and psychologically when housed in pairs or groups.”

“Marine mammals, when known to be primarily social in the wild, should be housed in their primary enclosure with at least one compatible animal of the same or biologically related species,” the USDA said.

In March 2022, the site’s lease was transferred to Dolphin – and since then, the USDA has issued a series of violation warnings, findings of animals being found injured and in distress.

The latest report accused the aquarium of having problems with inadequate veterinary care, animal handling and facilities, and critical separation.

The dolphins were found to have eaten concrete and zip ties while one of them suffered broken ribs after the attack.

The facility “failed to provide appropriate equipment or services to ensure adequate veterinary care” and failed to “maintain the marine mammal enclosure in good condition and protect the animals from injury,” the report said.

Despite the report, footage taken in November showed Romeo still alone in the small pool surrounded by three empty and stained tanks.

Manatees are classified as an endangered species in the United States, with only 7,500 of them remaining in the wild in Florida.

These slow-moving creatures swim and rest in very shallow water and are extremely curious, making them vulnerable to being struck by boat propellers.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was forced to declare a “manatee mortality event” after thousands of the creatures died in the past three years.

So far this year, 497 manatees have died of natural or man-made causes.

The committee’s research concluded that 82 people have died in boat collisions in the state so far this year.

Another 20 people were killed by contact with humans or other man-made structures such as floodgates.

“The situation as it occurred was completely unacceptable,” Patrick M. Rose, an aquatic biologist and executive director at Save the Manatee Club, told DailyMail.com.

“This has gone on for too long, but I have confidence now that it will be corrected,” he added.

The club is trying to work with the Seaquarium to improve its conditions, and said: “Every effort will be made to ensure its conditions are brought up to appropriate levels – we will not rest until that happens.”

He added that because Romeo has been in captivity for so long, “the odds would be very much against him” surviving in the wild, and he would be better off in a safe environment with healthcare and other manatees.

A petition to release Romeo has more than 20,000 signatures. It read: “We demand that they do the right thing and release Romeo now!”

“He should be allowed freedom. Can you imagine swimming in circles in a small, dirty tank for decades?”

Demers wrote in the comments section of the Urgent Seas video that he plans to take action with a “protest at the Miami Seaquarium on December 16, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. See you there!”

He also claimed that the Seaquarium is taking legal action against him, saying, “Miami Seaquarium’s attorneys have filed a request for a gag order against me.”

“They are suing me for posting drone videos showing their poor treatment of animals and the terrible conditions they live in. More to come.”

Miami Seaquarium posted “November is Manatee Awareness Month!” on her Facebook account on November 9. A popular comment asked in response to the post: “What about Romeo?”

Romeo is kept in the same marine aquarium where killer whale Lolita died in March this year.

Lolita was called “the world’s loneliest whale” and died at the age of 57, just months before her scheduled retirement.

Experts and concerned individuals have long protested Lolita’s conditions in captivity, including the size of her tank, which at 80 feet long and 35 feet wide, is the smallest of its kind in the United States.

Just 10 years after Lolita arrived in the aquarium, her companion Hugo died of an aneurysm caused by repeated head trauma, earning her the title of the world’s loneliest whale.

Lolita was the oldest whale in captivity at 56 years old, and she continued performing until 2022 when she finally retired after falling ill.

DailyMail.com has contacted the Miami Seaquarium for comment.