Not a Florida Man story…but a Florida Man(atee).
This one combines a crazy “Florida Man” headline with the…well, stereotypes about the south…to make for one hell of a headline.
Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, located in Sarasota, Florida, is getting quite the attention after their 38-year-old manatee passed away earlier this year. While that may seem old, manatees can live for 65 years in captivity, so the manatee, Hugh, was still a spry young lad.
“The Mote family is absolutely heartbroken to share that yesterday, April 29, our beloved resident manatee, Hugh, passed away unexpectedly.
After Hugh showed a change in his behavior earlier in the day, animal care staff began closely monitoring him. Saturday late afternoon, Hugh suddenly became unresponsive in his habitat at Mote Aquarium’s Marine Mammal Center. Hugh’s Animal Care team responded immediately, and ultimately determined that Hugh had passed away.”
And now an official statement revealed the cause of death: “Intense” sex with his brother, Buffett.
Through necropsy results, officials talked to aquarium personnel revealing that staff had seen and allowed the brothers to engage in sexual activity.
The New York Post reported the statement made by the USDA:
“At approximately 5:15 pm, the larger male was observed penetrating the smaller male again. When the larger male swam away, the smaller male was seen unresponsive at the bottom of the pool. It was confirmed that he had passed.”
The necropsy results revealed that Hugh’s fatal injuries included a 14.5-centimeter rip in his colon.
The animal keepers noted:
“There were no obvious signs of discomfort or distress such as listing, crunching, or active avoidance that would have triggered a need for intervention.”
This is why they did not interfere with the manatees when displaying this behavior. They also worried that separating the brothers would have negatively affected both manatees and triggered their anxiety.
Since Hugh did not show signs of distress while his brother was mounting him, they let the two animals coexist in the same living space.
Mote also noted that they:
“Observed initiating and mutually seeking interactions from each other.”
Mote notes that they strive to be the gold standard for their animals’ health and well-being, which is why they had been consulting with vets and performing the necropsy to learn why their beloved manatee passed.
A very tragic way for Hugh’s life to have ended…but what a way to go out.
Check out the official statement made by Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium.
