Nicky Cardwell
Appearances
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
A quick recap. Romeo is the oldest manatee in captivity in the world. At 2,000 pounds, he's also the biggest. He used to share his tank with Juliet, the mother of his babies, but they were separated after decades of companionship.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
He ended up alone in a small crumbling tank and might have died there had Philip Demers from the pressure group Urgent Seas not drawn the world's attention with a social media post. He was moved to Zoo Tampa, who immediately invited Phil to come and see Romeo in his new home with his new friends.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
That was a year ago, but how is he doing now? I went to Zoo Tampa to see for myself. I'm standing at the edge of the pool and I'm looking at what is, frankly, a massive pile of manatees. There's about ten of them, all on top of one another. Some are cuddling each other with their fins. And I think that that is Romeo at the bottom. He's much bigger than everyone else, so he's quite easy to spot.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
He really seems to be enjoying his new life. But what do the experts think? Molly Lippincott heads the team at Sioux Tampa responsible for Romeo's care.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
Because he's quite an old gentleman, isn't he? How long do manatees live for?
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
Romeo will, for the time being, stay at Zoo Tampa because manatees are endangered. The zoo prioritises getting young manatees back out into the wild, where hopefully they'll breed. For Phil Demers at Open Seas, this is still a win. He says the moment he saw Romeo at Zoo Tampa, he knew they'd done the right thing.