MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. -- A day after celebrating his 69th birthday, the beloved manatee named Snooty has died, the South Florida Museum announced Sunday.
At 69, Snooty was the oldest known manatee living in captivity in the entire world. Manatees are fortunate to live into their teens in the wild.
Snooty was captive-born in 1948, before laws were passed to protect marine mammals.
The museum threw Snooty his annual birthday bash festival Saturday, with fans coming from all over to celebrate the famous manatee.
One 13-year-old boy and his family traveled all the way from North Carolina to see the elderly manatee.
Luckily, Douglas McAnulty was able to meet the lovable 1,300-pound manatee before he died.
McAnulty discovered Snooty online a couple of years ago and has been hooked ever since. Douglas said he was estactic to come to Florida to celebrate Snooty's birthday.
The South Florida Museum said his death was accidental and that the circumstances are being investigated.
In a release sent by the South Florida Museum, officials stated, "Snooty was found in an underwater area only used to access plumbing for the exhibit life support system. Early indications are that an access panel door that is normally bolted shut had somehow been knocked loose and that Snooty was able to swim in."
"Snooty's habitat undergoes a daily visual inspection and there were no indications the previous day that there was anything amiss. The Aquarium will remain closed while Museum staff continues its investigation and staff who worked with him have an opportunity to grieve."
The museum posted on their Facebook page saying, "We know that our community and Snooty fans around the world share our grief."