Over-sexed manatee dead after 'high intensity' activities with his brother
An autopsy report has been released determining the cause of death for Hugh - a 38-year-old Florida manatee who died in April after exhibiting "heightened sexual activity" with his brother, who is a much larger male.
The necropsy report says Hugh died from a rip in his colon caused by a sexual encounter with his male brother, Buffett, ABC7 WWSB-TV reported.
The Mote Marine Aquarium and Laboratory released a statement saying, "Hugh and Buffett engaged in natural, yet increased, mating behaviour observed and documented in manatees both in managed care and in the wild. This was the first time such heightened mating behaviour was witnessed between the two manatees."
A manatee held in a Florida facility has died from 'a ripped colon' after 'extreme sexual activity' with his brother (MoteMarineLab/Facebook)They further stated that the two are only usually sexually active for two months out of the year. But the marine creature's paperwork alleges that, “the United States Department of Agriculture said Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium failed to act to protect Hugh which led to his death,” ABC7 reported.
ABC7 reported the USDA said “facility representatives, employees observed high-intensity sexual behaviour between two adult male manatees, which resulted in penetration of the smaller male, at approximately 10am."
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It was shortly after this that employees collected a sample from the smaller male and "confirmed the presence of fresh blood."
“The sexual behaviour continued throughout the day with periods of rest between high-intensity interactions and occasional penetration. At approximately 5:15pm, the larger male was observed penetrating, the smaller male again. When the larger male swam away, the smaller male was seen unresponsive at the bottom of the pool. It was confirmed that he had passed," concludes the report.
Hugh and Buffet had a brotherly love - until one died during mating season (HughandBuffett/Twitter)In their defence, Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium posted a Facebook note detailing Hugh's last day: "The manatees were under heightened observation throughout the day, and the animal care team was in constant close communications with, and following the direction of, the attending veterinarians throughout the day."
"Hugh and Buffett were both observed initiating and mutually seeking interactions from each other throughout the day and there were no obvious signs of discomfort or distress such as listing, crunching, or active avoidance that would have triggered a need for intervention."
"Following the direction of the veterinarians, distraction rather than physical separation was chosen because separation has previously caused undue anxiety and negative effects in both manatees. In an effort to redirect the manatees’ attention and decrease undesirable behaviours, animal care staff used positive reinforcement tools such as high-value rewards and enrichment that had previously been successful," said aquarium officials.
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