Oldest manatee in captivity dies

MIAMI — Snooty, the world’s oldest manatee in captivity, died Sunday, a day after a party to celebrate his 69th birthday, according to the South Florida Museum.

“Snooty was found in an underwater area only used to access plumbing for the exhibit life support system,” the Bradenton, Fla., museum said in a news release. “Early indications are that an access panel door that is normally bolted shut had somehow been knocked loose and that Snooty was able to swim in.”

Staff members said the circumstances are being investigated. The other three manatees undergoing rehabilitation in Snooty’s habitat are all fine.

The aquarium will remain closed while staff members continue their investigation.

Snooty had previously been in good health, eating about 80 pounds of lettuce and vegetables every day to sustain his 1,000-pound body.

The museum said Snooty was born in 1948 at the Miami Aquarium and Tackle Co., calling it the first recorded birth of a manatee in human care.

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