First we lost Cecil the Lion, then Harambe the gorilla. Now it’s time to add one more beloved zoological creature to the list of those gone too soon — Snooty the manatee.
Snooty the manatee was the Guinness World Record’s oldest living manatee. He turned 69 on Friday but that would turn out to be the mammal’s last birthday; he drowned in his tank two days later at the South Florida museum aquarium. Officials are calling it a “tragic accident.”
In a press release on the aquarium’s website, South Florida Museum CEO Brynne Anne Besio said “Our initial findings indicate that Snooty’s death was a heartbreaking accident and we’re all quite devastated about his passing… As you can imagine, I — and our staff, volunteers and board members — considered him a star. We all deeply mourn his passing.”
The Washington Post reported that “Mourners left flowers, cards and heads of romaine lettuce — Snooty’s favorite snack — outside the museum in his memory. Adults and children wept at the news.”
Some are taking steps to honor Snooty’s memory in a different way. A change.org petition asks that the city of Bradenton replace a confederate monument in front of its courthouse with a statue of Snooty.
The creator of the petition, Anthony Pusateri, wrote on the website “To honor Snooty’s legacy as a positive icon in Bradenton, I propose that the negative symbol of racism and oppression that is the Confederate monument be relocated and replaced with a statue of Snooty the Manatee.”
To date, the petition has amassed more than 11,000 signatures.
As the petition’s circulation increases, it seems we may have another Harambe on our hands.
