Credit: Miami Seaquarium (left), Leonardo DaSilva via Flickr (right)Miami Seaquarium has agreed to finally release two of its captive animals – potentially setting a precedent for similar parks, such as SeaWorld.
Marine mammals have been kept captive for decades, but the topic has become more divisive than ever in recent years. Fresh off the release of Blackfish (2013) – which focused on the captivity of the killer whale Tilikum at SeaWorld Orlando – activists and casual visitors alike pushed for theme parks to finally release their animals.
Related: Trainers Accuse Theme Park of Killing Orca, Updates Given
While SeaWorld remains determined to keep its killer whales, dolphins, and other animals, one Florida park has proved more flexible. Miami Seaquarium just agreed to free two of its aging manatees, Romeo (67) and Juliet (61).
The creatures – also known as “sea cows” – have lived at the Florida theme park since 1956, but will soon be relocated to live out their final days in a sanctuary. Both manatees have reportedly shown signs of deteriorating health in recent years and activists have argued that their conditions in the park are “horrendous.” A video shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) in November by the group Urgent Seas showed Romeo swimming in an isolated, small tank away from the rest of the park.
This video was taken on Nov 13th, 2023 above the Miami Seaquarium. Romeo, a 67 year old manatee lives in complete isolation in ever deteriorating conditions. We must fight for Romeo! #FreeRomeo
This video was taken on Nov 13th, 2023 above the Miami Seaquarium. Romeo, a 67 year old manatee lives in complete isolation in ever deteriorating conditions. We must fight for Romeo! #FreeRomeo pic.twitter.com/9BfdsYFaSA
— @UrgentSeas (@urgentseas) November 14, 2023
According to the US Fish and Wildlife Services (FWS), Romeo and Juliet will move to a sanctuary as early as next week. A third younger, unnamed manatee will also join them.
This follows a damning report released by FWS earlier this year which accused Miami Seaquarium of multiple veterinary care violations. It recommended that several creatures be relocated after incidents including a dolphin ingesting a foreign material, another dolphin biting a guest in March, and the termination of a veterinarian that left just one individual responsible for 46 marine mammals and hundreds of other creatures.
Miami Seaquarium previously vowed to free its last remaining killer whale, Lolita, in March 2023. This followed years of similar campaigns, as well as recommendations from her former trainers that she be relocated to SeaWorld Orlando where facilities are more spacious and advanced, and she could spend time with other orcas.
Sadly, Lolita – also known as Tokitae – died in August before the plan could come to fruition. The cause of death was put down to chronic diseases that naturally come with aging. She was 57 at the time of her death, making her the second oldest killer whale in captivity after Corky at SeaWorld San Diego.
Related: Is SeaWorld Getting Rid of Its Killer Whales?
Protests against captive animals are common, especially at SeaWorld’s parks in Orlando, San Diego, and San Antonio which often attract well-meaning activists. However, it’s rare for protests to trigger action from the parks themselves. SeaWorld has previously remained firm in its refusal to free most of its animals – especially its killer whales – claiming that they are ill-equipped to survive in the wild due to their time in captivity.
The most popular case against freeing captive marine mammals is Keiko, the male orca best known for portraying Willy in Free Willy (1993). In 1996, Warner Bros. and the International Marine Mammal Project agreed to return Keiko to the wild. Once freed, he struggled to acclimatize to life in the ocean, keeping his distance from other orcas and instead seeking out the company of humans before ultimately passing from pneumonia in 2003 at the age of 27.
Do you think theme parks should free their killer whales? Let us know in the comments!