Drone video shows 67-year-old manatee Romeo isolated in filthy tank at Miami Seaquarium

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (Gray News) – Heartbreaking video captured by a whistleblowing organization showing a manatee kept in isolation at a Florida aquarium is prompting officials to take action.

UrgentSeas, an organization that exposes the mistreatment of animals in zoos and aquariums, took the video on Nov. 13 at the Miami Seaquarium. Drone video shows 67-year-old manatee Romeo swimming by himself in a dirty tank at the aquarium.

After the footage went viral on social media over the weekend, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said on Monday it is stepping in to help.

The department is working with “an experienced team of manatee rescue and rehabilitation experts to assist with the transport effort of manatees from Miami Seaquarium.”

UrgentSeas said the department is expected to remove Romeo, Juliet, and another manatee from the Miami Seaquarium to a Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership facility within the next week.

The move will be risky for the manatees, according to UrgentSeas, but is necessary as the creatures’ health continues to fail from their containment.