Juliet the manatee, manatee rescued from Miami Seaquarium, dies at Zoo Tampa

MIAMI – Juliet the manatee, one of three manatees rescued from the Miami Seaquarium late last year due to poor living conditions, died early Sunday morning, CBS News Miami has learned.

ZooTampa, the facility where Juliet was transferred in December 2023, shared on

“Juliet was a beloved animal who captured the hearts of many around the world. We were regularly contacted by animal care professionals, veterinarians and even the general public, who credit her for instilling their passion for this gentle manatees,” said Dr. Cythnia Stringfield, ZooTampa’s senior vice president of animal health, conservation and education. “Our thoughts are with the entire manatee community and the teams who have cared for her for more than 60 years.”

ZooTampa added that an autopsy will be performed to confirm the manatee’s exact cause of death.

Juliet was one of three manatees subsequently moved to ZooTampa and another facility in Orlando one of many inspection reports from the United States Department of Agriculture cited the Seaquarium for inadequate care and neglect of the animals, one of which involved Juliet and the other two manatees lacking adequate veterinary care and living in poor living environments.

“For more than four months, Juliet had successfully adapted to her new environment in the zoo’s rehabilitation pools and was socializing with other manatees,” Stringfield added.

However, Stringfield noted that there were “many aspects” of Julia’s overall health that were unknown and that she was an “unusually large” manatee, weighing 3,045 pounds, and estimated to be over 65 years old, making her one of the oldest known manatees.

According to ZooTampa, Juliet and her Seaquarium tankmate Romeo were “gradually acclimating” to their new home at the facility in December, despite aspects of their overall health being relatively unknown at the time.

Although she did not die at the Seaquarium, Juliet is the fourth animal in nearly a year to die as a result of the Miami complex’s poor living conditions.

Lolita the killer whale died on August 18, 2023 of old age and multiple chronic illnesses, after being held at the Seaquarium for over 50 years. She was the first marine mammal to die, drawing massive attention to the facility’s controversies, as The Dolphin Company – the owner of the Seaquarium – had announced in March 2023 that it would move her to a natural sea cage in the Pacific Northwest, but did not . so on time.

Then, in December 2023, Seaquarium officials announced the death of Sundance the dolphin, who had lived in the institution for more than thirty years and died of ‘precursors of illness’. Then, in March this year, Bud the sea lion was euthanized by the Seaquarium, reportedly a day after Miami-Dade County officials observed the animal’s “limp condition” during their on-site inspection.

The Miami Seaquarium has drawn the ire of both state and federal governments, along with local and national animal rights activists, in recent years, but frustration with the facility has grown even greater in recent months. In separate USDA inspection reports, the agency cited the South Florida aquarium with multiple violations, including inadequate veterinary care and facility conditions, along with poor animal treatment, shelter and sanitation.

In one of the most shocking inspections, the USDA found another sea lion refusing to eat due to untreated cataracts and a dolphin measuring two inches in length. nail in his throat.

MS Leisure Company, Inc., together with the Dolphin Company – which manages the Seaquarium – the deportation order issued after Miami-Dade County officials cited numerous and significant violations of the lease agreement regarding the animal and facility neglect allegations it faced.

Despite calls for its permanent closure, the Seaquarium has remained afloat and continues to operate despite being expected to vacate its premises on Sunday, April 21.