Mote Marine Laboratory reported that their long time resident, Hugh the Manatee, passed away suddenly over the weekend.
After Hugh showed a change in his behavior earlier in the day, animal care staff began closely monitoring him. Saturday late afternoon, Hugh suddenly became unresponsive in his habitat at Mote Aquarium's Marine Mammal Center. Hugh’s Animal Care team responded immediately, and ultimately determined that Hugh had passed away.
A necropsy, or animal autopsy, including full pathology, will be performed by FWC's Marine Mammal Pathobiology Laboratory Institute to determine his exact cause of death. The results of that process usually take about 8 or more weeks.
Hugh was 38 years old. He was born at Miami Seaquarium and arrived at Mote from ZooTampa on May 2, 1996, where he served as an ambassador for his species, and routinely and voluntarily took part in manatee research studies. Hugh, and his brother Buffett, are the world’s only manatees to participate in voluntary, detailed behavioral research designed to aid manatee conservation. Hugh’s indelible and lasting legacy will be one of an invaluable contribution to the scientific understanding of manatee behavior and contributions to the conservation of his species.