Snooty: The Untold Story of Manatee County's Mascot

 

(Editor's Note: This article was originally published on July 17, 2010)

 

Could Snooty have been immaculately conceived? To say that there were raised eyebrows over the lineage would be an understatement. Forget the maternity test, where exactly did the paternity come into play? Lady had been in the tank alone. Hadn’t she?

 

The Prins Vladimir was a 241' steel hulled schooner built in 1886. It was converted into an aquarium in1928. It was in less than perfect condition when Walters owned it. By then it had been condemned as a wreck in 1911, capsized in the Miami harbor while being towed, pulled out, set in a canal that drained after the 1926 hurricane (it was the only boat to survive) and finally stripped of its ship status and considered a building. The city was putting pressure on Walters, calling his water-logged landmark an "eyesore.“ What could he do to pull in some much needed business? Maybe hope for a miracle?

A miracle did arrive by way of a slow swimming vegan and though it did not save his business, it did give the people of Manatee County a much needed mascot. Baby Snoots was born on July 21, 1948, as the first manatee ever to be born into captivity.

The female manatee gestation period is around 13 months which means that the "frolicking seacow“ that was first spotted by the fisherman might have just gotten lucky–Snooty was born 15 months and three days later.

The next year, Bradenton was having their annual Desoto Celebration. Stout took it upon himself to capture a seacow for the festivities. The announcement got Human Society Executive Director Charles Pusey out of a "sick bed" to see that a pair of innocent grazers did not fall victim to Stout's harpoon.

 

"It's because of things like this that Manatee County doesn't have sea cows anymore," said Pusey in a Saint Pete Times article. "The manatee is a warm blooded mammal and would feel that just as much as a land cow.“

The next day, the state revoked his permit, claiming he was abusing it. Their understanding when issuing him permission was that he would be using a net, not a harpoon. The permit was dated back to 1947 for the one Manatee which he already had. Not only were they banning him from any more hunting, he was in danger of losing the two in captivity according to an article in the Miami News.

Stout instead loaned out Snooty for the celebration and afterward brought him back to the floating aquarium, but his reputation remained tarnished. A federal conservation agent, Earl J. Ricou was questioning the validity of Stout's manatee Madonna story. Stout decided to give Baby Snoots to Bradenton and personally see to its safe delivery via his pick-up truck.

"Today he made Ricou happy too,“ said Milt Sosin staff writer for the Miami News. "No longer does the conservation agent have the responsibility of making a decision worthy of Solomon.“

 

When it was announced that the Miami Aquarium would have to close down permanently due to pressures from the city, all the sea life in the aquarium was either given to other aquariums across the country or released back into the sea–Lady was freed.

Baby Snoots lived in a tank built inside the Chamber of Commerce Pier Building in Bradenton. Within a couple years he was permanently called Snooty and officially named Manatee County's mascot. Today he holds the record as oldest captive manatee and oldest known living manatee. He is a staple in the community and an inspiration to scientists and conservationists everywhere. This week he will celebrate his 62nd birthday and his colorful past has only given him that much more character.