Featured Image Credit:Lowry Park Zoo
We are deeply saddened by the loss of Emoji, a juvenile manatee orphan that was found last October. Like many other marine mammals… he did not have to die.
Found at just a few weeks old and 15 pounds underweight, the gravest concern was the amount of garbage and trash the manatee had ingested. Emoji’s stomach was filled with debris and protruding from its rectum. The manatee was rushed to Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, Florida
Being that the manatee was orphaned at such a young and crucial age, he probably mistakenly consumed the plastic bags while scrounging the sea floor.
This is not Emoji’s fault. This is OUR FAULT.
A senior veterinarian at the Florida based zoo, Ray Ball, added “We later found that he was suffering from disseminated intravascular coagulation, which makes manatees bleed and clot at the same time. It’s a common condition, but Ball said Emoji’s case was one of the most severe he’s ever seen.”
On Monday, the facility shared the sad news that Emoji had passed just 3 months after beginning treatment and rehabilitation. Ball commented on the loss, “Emoji is a tragic illustration of the consequences that simple human actions have on the world around us. Now more than ever, we must hold ourselves accountable, whether that’s keeping trash and plastics out of our waterways or being more mindful of potential consequences of propeller strikes on wildlife while boating.”
The veterinarian called his team “guardedly optimistic” because while the manatee was eating lettuce and drinking formula, they all knew he had a long way to go. What they thought was a typical “colic episode,” turned into the end for the manatee. On Sunday, the seacow refused to eat and was not as energetic or responding like a typical baby would.
Sadly it is not uncommon for young animals to ingest debris. According to National Geographic, there are currently 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris floating in the ocean. It would actually be harder for them to not ingest the trash. A recent study showed that half the planet’s sea turtles and nearly all of the world’s seabirds have ingested some form of plastic. Scary.
Ball guaranteed that Emoji’s loss WILL NOT be taken lightly. The young orphan’s name was inspired by the zoo’s campaign to raise awareness about manatees through a petition that called for the creation of a manatee emoji. Get it now?
Currently the petition has over 25,000 signatures. We need more than just a petition, we need people to change the way they consume. Here’s how you can eliminate plastic from your routine.