A necropsy of Hugh the manatee at a Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in Sarasota, Florida, revealed that the marine mammal died from a ruptured colon caused by “mating behavior” with his brother, Buffett.
The necropsy published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture this week revealed that the smaller but older 38-year-old Hugh suffered a 14.5-centimeter rip in his colon.
On April 29, the day Hugh died, aquarium staff “observed high-intensity sexual behavior between two adult male manatees, which resulted in rectal penetration of the smaller male, at approximately 10 a.m. Shortly after this interaction, employees collected a fecal sample from the smaller male and confirmed the presence of fresh blood,” the necropsy read, as cited by WWSB-TV.
The brother manatees engaged in this behavior in bursts interspersed with resting over the course of the day. Following one final encounter at 5:15 p.m., after which the larger Buffett swam away, Hugh was found unresponsive at the bottom of the pool.
He was then confirmed dead.
The pair, who were born at the Miami Seaquarium in the 1980s, had lived at the Mote Marine facility since 1996.
The USDA report contended that “the facility failed to handle Hugh expeditiously and as carefully as possible to prevent trauma and physical harm, resulting in the death of the animal.”
Mote Marine is now appealing the report.
In a statement Tuesday, the aquarium said that it had followed protocols and best practices established by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership.
April 29 was, according to staff, the first time the two had exhibited mating behaviors, which had precedent in other manatee specimens that had been observed elsewhere.
“Hugh and Buffett engaged in natural, yet increased, mating behavior observed and documented in manatees both in managed care and in the wild. This was the first time such heightened mating behavior was witnessed between the two manatees,” the aquarium’s statement read.
The statement also contended that neither manatee exhibited signs of distress, such as listing or active avoidance of the other, that would have necessitated intervention by handlers. Separation, Mote Marine claimed, had previously caused anxiety in the animals.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture had also approved the facility in an inspection conducted just a week before Hugh’s death, aquarium officials noted.
“In fact, a week prior to this devastating incident, the USDA performed an annual inspection, and our staff was recognized by the USDA for the high quality of care provided to our manatees,” Mote Marine staff said in their statement.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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