A TEAR-JERKING video shows the world’s loneliest manatee repeatedly banging his head against his tank as experts slam aquarium staff for “torture”.
The mammal, known as Buffet, is 37 and has been living alone at Mote Laboratory and Aquarium in Sarasota, Florida for the past year.
Disturbingly, Buffet is said to have killed his brother and tank mate over a year ago and has since been left to wallow in misery.
Phil Demers, a marine mammal activist, filmed the creature earlier this month circling the tank and showing signs of distress.
The clip – posted to Instagram, where it racked up 290,000 views and over 12,000 likes – shows Buffet’s daily life.
He floats in dizzying, aimless circles around his tank before he approaches the glass and appears to bash his head multiple times.
Buffet has been kept at the aquarium since 1996.
Demers, who is concerned about Buffet’s mental health decline, hopes to spread awareness and have him released.
He previously campaigned successfully for the release of Buffett’s parents, Romeo and Juliet.
A clip shared by Demers of Romeo swimming miserably in his tank while discarded lettuce floated on the surface whipped the internet into a frenzy.
It racked up more than 1 million views and helped with the effort to move him to a suitable enclosure.
Manatees are social animals and often suffer when not living in groups, according to experts.
Demers told The Sun: “There’s no excuse to continue to allow Buffett to languish in these conditions.
“Solitary confinement is akin to torture to social beings like manatees.
“We must remove Buffett from this tank asap so he can join others of his species.”
He added: “It feels like a gross injustice happening right before our eyes. It also feels like betrayal.”
There are currently less than 200 manatees in captivity globally, according to PubMed.
They are semi-social creatures and “suffer psychologically when not living in pairs or groups”, says animal activist, Phil Demers.
This could result in them exhibiting signs of distress and becoming unwell.
If aquarium tanks are too small, or kept in poor condition this can also contribute to the mammal’s suffering.
Although the gentle creatures don’t have any natural predators they are considered endangered.
So far three famous manatees have hit the headlines including a male and female called Romeo and juliet who were released recently after many years in confinement.
Buffett, the son of the pair, is the latest to spark outrage from animal activists.
The sun has contacted Mote Laboratory and Aquarium for comment.
It comes as a whale who lived with the star of the Free Willy movie was filmed swimming around in a tiny tank at an amusement park.
Demers claimed the orca called Kiska has been there for the last 12 years.
He said the orca was captured in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1979 when she was only three years old.
She was first taken to an aquarium in Iceland where she lived with four other young orcas, including Keiko – who starred in Free Willy.
