TAMPA, Fla. — About a week after being welcomed, ZooTampa is providing an update on two elderly manatees recently delivered into its team's round-the-clock care.
Earlier this month, the Miami Seaquarium released three manatees from its care, two of which — Romeo and Juliet — were transported to ZooTampa, one of only three critical care centers for manatees in Florida. The third manatee was taken to SeaWorld Orlando for care.
Romeo and Juliet are both more than 65 years old and have been at the Seaquarium since the late 1950s. ZooTampa says the pair came to the Seaquarium before the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act were enacted. After calls for the Seaquarium to provide a "better social group" for the manatees, ZooTampa says it contacted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and offered to "temporarily" care for Romeo and Juliet.
As ZooTampa cares for the manatee pair, members of the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP) will reportedly look for a more permanent location for the pair to live out their final years. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), manatees can live longer than 65 years in captivity.
In the meantime, Romeo and Juliet are "gradually acclimating" to their new, temporary home. ZooTampa says the pair's age and weight are challenges. Juliet in particular is much heavier than most manatees should be, currently weighing 3,045 pounds, the zoo said.
“It’s going to be a long road, but there is no facility better prepared to address the urgent health needs of these manatees while the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership identifies the best option for their long-term placements,” Dr. Cynthia Stringfield, manatee critical care veterinarian and Senior Vice President of Animal Health, Conservation and Education said in a statement.
At this point, tests haven't shown any "major abnormalities" for either Romeo and Juliet's health, but the zoo says it doesn't know everything about their overall health.
“Both animals are over 65 years old,” Stringfield said. “At this age, we always have concerns about cardiac health, which is difficult to evaluate in manatees due to their size.”
ZooTampa says Romeo and Juliet have been moved to rehabilitation pools and are socializing with other manatees, something the zoo says is essential for manatees "in human care" to thrive.
“As two of the oldest living manatees, Romeo and Juliet deserve the best care possible as they live out their final years,” Stringfield added.