38-year-old manatee Hugh dies after ‘high-intensity’ sex with his own brother (Picture: Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium)
A Florida aquarium has attributed the death of a popular manatee to a 14.5cm rip in his colon caused by too much ‘high-intensity’ sex with another male- his own brother.
Hugh, a manatee at the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in Sarasota, died on April 29 at the age of 38, with staff noticing a change in his behaviour shortly before he passed away.
Necropsy results revealed Hugh had succumbed to traumatic injuries caused by a sexual encounter with another, larger, male manatee at the facility- his brother, Buffett.
A fecal sample collected from Hugh after the encounter confirmed the presence of fresh blood, but aquarium employees reportedly allowed the brothers to continue engaging in ‘high-intensity interactions and occasional penetration’ throughout the day.
Hugh died from a ruptured colon following a frisky encounter with his brother Buffett (Picture: Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium)
At around 5:15 p.m, Buffett was seen penetrating Hugh yet again. When he swam away, witnesses noticed Hugh was at the bottom of the pool and had become unresponsive. It was later confirmed he was dead.
Aquarium employees addressed Hugh’s death In a Facebook statement posted Tuesday, in which they said the manatees ‘engaged in natural, yet increased, mating behaviour observed and documented in manatees both in managed care and in the wild.’
The months-long heightened sexual activity between the two brothers- the only two manatees in the aquarium- was the first time the pair had been ‘observed initiating and mutually seeking interactions from each other.’
Although the accidental fratricide was ‘the first time such heightened mating behaviour was witnessed between the two manatees,’ the brothers displayed ‘no obvious signs of discomfort or distress such as listing, crunching, or active avoidance that would have triggered a need for intervention,’ they added.
Both Hugh and Buffett have lived at the Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium in Sarasota since 1996 and are the world’s only two manatees to participate in voluntary, detailed behavioural research designed to aid manatee conservation, according to the institution.
Mote claims its team had been adequately following protocol and veterinarian advice.
‘And that is what we will continue to strive for — serving as a gold standard for animal health and wellbeing, as we have shown throughout our history,’ the aquarium said.
‘Thank you for your continued support during this heartbreaking time. Our Mote family continues to mourn the loss of Hugh, and we know you do, too.’
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