Snooty’s Death: Staff Knew Panel Was ‘Askew,’ Officials Say

BRADENTON, FL — Less than six weeks after the death of iconic Snooty the manatee, the South Florida Museum has released an expert’s report highlighting measures that may have prevented the tragedy. Museum officials have also confirmed that staff at the Parker Manatee Aquarium knew the panel to an underwater plumbing area was loose. That oversight enabled Snooty to swim into the area where he became trapped and drowned just days after turning 69 years old.

Museum officials on Aug. 31 also detailed steps being taken to ensure a “preventable accident,” like the drowning of the world-record-breaking manatee never occurs again.

Snooty was found dead in his habitat on the morning of July 23, just two days after the creature's official birthday. Snooty was recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest manatee.

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A necropsy conducted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission shortly after Snooty’s death revealed he died from drowning after becoming trapped in an underwater plumbing area in his habitat. He was able to swim in, but was too large to turn back around. The accident is believed to have occurred in the nighttime hours of July 22, shortly after the museum and community celebrated the record-breaker’s birthday.

Following the death, museum officials “pledged to examine—with the help of outside experts—whether there were failures of physical facilities, whether there were human errors and whether appropriate policies and operating procedures were in place and followed," John Quinlan, Board of Trustees Vice President, said in a Thursday statement released by the museum.

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The expert selected to conduct the review, attorney and animal welfare advocate James Gesualdi, has since completed his report. To arrive at his findings, the author of “Excellence Beyond Compliance,” conducted a site review, spoke with more than a dozen members of the museum’s staff and consulted with the veterinarian who cared for Snooty for more than 20 years, the museum’s statement said. He also looked at records, documents, security footage and photos before filing his report.

Gesualdi’s report, the museum announced Aug. 31, “confirmed that Snooty’s death was the result of a preventable accident and that several factors contributed to this tragedy.”

The factors include:

• Shortfalls in reporting and recordkeeping
• A breakdown in department and interdepartmental communication
• Failure to provide proactive follow through
• A need for better staff training

"During this thorough review process, we discovered that aquarium staff were aware of the panel being loose or askew, or that it was missing screws, beginning Sunday, July 16—a week before Snooty's death," Brynne Anne Besio, the museum's chief executive officer, announced Thursday. "Due to breakdowns in record-keeping, reporting, communication and follow-through—while some action was taken—no action culminated in an effective repair.”

Besio apologized on the museum’s behalf for the mistakes that led to Snooty’s death.

“We have made, and continue to make, substantive changes — operationally and philosophically — to address the breakdowns that contributed to this tragic accident," she added.

The museum announced the following changes on Thursday:

• Staffing changes will be made
• Staff will be retrained and cross training will occur on inspecting and inspecting the manatee habitat
• New dive checklists will be used
• New reporting, communications and recordkeeping protocols are going into place
• A new work order system will be used to handle maintenance and repairs

"We are restructuring the manatee care staff and working with nationally recognized animal care experts to help us review the findings from this report and create a new program that is focused on manatee rehabilitation, conservation and education," Besio said. "We are working through the situation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. We are also continuing to work with the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership to review our operational procedures."

Remembering Snooty, Looking Ahead

Snooty had aptly called Manatee County home since 1949 when “Baby Snoots,” as he was called at the time, arrived in Bradenton. He was a Miami native, however, born at the Miami Aquarium on July 21, 1948. Snooty became Manatee County’s official mascot in 1979.

Considering his longstanding ties to the community, the museum intends to host a memorial in Snooty’s honor. The event is set to take place from noon to 5 p.m. on Sept. 10 at 201 10th St. W. museum in Bradenton. Museum entry will be offered free of charge during the memorial so that people can say their goodbyes.

The celebration of Snooty’s life will include a visual tribute to the world-record-setting manatee that will be shown in the Bishop Planetarium. Visitors will also be invited to help create memorial craft projects to remember Snooty and tour his “true legacy: the museum’s Manatee Rehabilitation Program,” the museum said in announcing the memorial.

The museum’s Parker Manatee Aquarium not only served as a permanent home to Snooty, it is also a rehabilitation center for other manatees. It is currently serving as home to three rehabilitating manatees – Baca, Randall and Gale. All three are expected to be returned to the wild when they are deemed in good health. The museum has helped rehabilitate 30 manatees since 1998, and aims to continue on its mission to help the creatures.

"We are going beyond simply fixing issues related to the accident," Besio said. "We are making sure that we honor Snooty's legacy by contributing to manatee rehabilitation in as many ways as we can."

For more information about the museum, visit it online.

Photo courtesy of the South Florida Museum