Under the direction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service back in December, ZooTampa was called to rescue two manatees from Miami’s Seaquarium, two weeks after a November 28th USDA inspection report showed repeated violations at the facility.
Now, ZooTampa animal care professionals are watching the two “elderly and overweight” manatees, Romeo and Juliet, around the clock.
“They are doing well, but it’s going to be a long road,” said Tiffany Burns, senior director of animal care at Zoo Tampa. “It’s been an acclimation for them. It’s a whole new environment. So our job is to make sure they are acclimating to their new home.”
Both Romeo and Juliet are over 65 years of age and have resided at Miami Seaquarium since the late 1950s. Juliet, at 3,000 pounds, is overweight, Burns said.
“Typically, large females are closer to the 2,000-pound range. So it’s something that we knew she needed to lose weight,” Burns said.
Burns said naturally, the new environment at ZooTampa will help Juliet lose weight. She’s now in a freshwater pool instead of saltwater, which Burns said will require more strength to swim around.