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For Immediate Release
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July 13, 2016
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Join us as we Celebrate
the World’s Oldest Manatee
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CONTENTS
- Birthday Bash & Wildlife Festival Details
- Volunteers still needed to help out during South Florida Museum’s annual Birthday Bash & Wildlife Festival
- Birthday Card Contest Entry Deadline Extended
- Carrie’s 50 for 50 Challenge: From Manatees to the Moon
- Fun Snooty Facts to Share with Your Audiences
- Forget the Flour… Facebook Followers Can Vote on the Best Fruit and Vegetable Cake Designs Constructed for Snooty’s Birthday
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 The South Florida Museum is getting ready to celebrate the birthday of a true Southwest Florida icon: Snooty the manatee. Snooty was officially designated the world’s oldest-known manatee last year by Guinness World Records. Guests can be a part of another record-breaking year by joining us from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 23, during Snooty’s 68th Birthday Bash & Wildlife Festival, presented by Mosaic at the Museum, 201 10th St. W., Bradenton, Florida, 34205.
This annual event, which takes place in the Museum’s Spanish Plaza, our north parking lot on the Manatee River and in front of the Museum on 10th Street W., will help raise awareness about endangered manatees and other wildlife species. Admission is free for the outdoor activities and the Museum is offering reduced-price admission all day, along with plenty of games and activities for all ages. Indoor admission: $9 for adults, $8 for seniors (65 and older), $7 for children ages 4-12. Children ages 3 and younger get in free with a paying adult. Museum Members always get in free. (No other discounts or promotions allowed.)
Exhibitors joining us during the celebration will include:
- Bright House Networks & Bay News 9
- Friends of Oscar Scherer State Park
- Lemur Conservation Foundation
- Manatee County Audubon Society
- Manatee County Library
- Manatee County Mosquito Control District
- Manatee County Parks & Natural Resources
- Manatee County Water Conservation Program
- Mosaic’s Fossil Dig
- Mote Mobile Exhibit
- Myakka River State Park
- Pittsburgh Pirates / Bradenton Marauders
- Save the Manatee Club
- Sea to Shore Alliance
- Whole Child Manatee
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 Show Snooty the Love: Birthday Card Contest Entry Deadline Extended to Friday, July 15
Students in preschool through 6th grade are invited to show Snooty the love during the South Florida Museum’s Annual Birthday Card Contest.
Prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third place winners in four age categories (Grades Pre K-K; 1-2; 3-4; 5-6) and a grand prize. Cards will be judged for creativity and originality and young artists are encouraged to have fun with their messages and designs. Contest entry is free.
- Late submissions and submissions without a completed entry form will not be judged. (Non-competition cards are welcomed from all ages until the Birthday Bash, however, and may be included in displays at the Birthday Bash.)
- Entry forms: Entry is free and entry forms are available online or may be picked up at the South Florida Museum, 201 10th St. W., Bradenton, FL, 34205.
- Awards: Winners will be announced and awards will be made for first through third place winners in four age categories immediately following the singing of “The Birthday Song” at noon during Snooty’s Birthday Bash & Wildlife Festival on Saturday, July 23, 2016.
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 Carrie’s 50 for 50 Challenge: From Manatees to the Moon
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the South Florida Museum’s current home, friend and donor Carrie Yearwood has challenged us to raise $50,000 by September 15, 2016, which she has generously agreed to match. The funds raised will benefit the Museum’s annual operations, including the care and feeding of Snooty and his pals in rehab.
You can donate now to help us meet Carrie’s Challenge celebrating the last 50 years that have taken us from manatees to the moon.
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Birthday “Cake” Contest on Facebook
Visitors to the Museum’s Facebook page can simply “like” the photo of their favorite cake, and they will then be entered for a chance to win one of three specialty Snooty portraits AND a grand prize that includes a South Florida Museum “Friends Level” Membership for a year! We also encourage the media and public to use #Snooty68 when mentioning Snooty’s 68th Birthday Bash & Wildlife Festival on social media.
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Fun Snooty Facts
- Snooty turns 68 years old this month — making him the oldest known manatee in the world. In 2015, he was certified as the world’s oldest captive manatee by Guinness World Records.
- Manatee ages can only be determined after a necropsy (animal autopsy) by examining their ear bones. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the oldest-aged wild manatee was 59. There is no record of any Florida manatee anywhere having reached an age older than Snooty, meaning that his life has and will continue to be a source of great information and research concerning manatees.
- Snooty has been cared for by the South Florida Museum since he came to Manatee County in 1949.
- Snooty was declared Manatee County’s official mascot in 1979 and was re-confirmed for his 65th birthday in 2013; today he is well-known all over the world and each year receives birthday wishes from countries near and far.
- He has greeted more than 2 million visitors during his lifetime, with still more people viewing his activities on the Museum’s live online Snooty Cam.
- As a Stage 2 manatee rehabilitation facility, the South Florida Museum’s Parker Manatee Aquarium is part of the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership, a self-governing group originally created by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that is today made up of organizations that participate in manatee rescue and rehabilitation. Snooty has helped foster 28 sick or injured manatees and returned them to the wild. The Museum is currently rehabilitating another two manatees: Sarasolo and Icecube.
- Snooty is an herbivore who eats 70 to 80 pounds of vegetables each day. He weighs more than 1,100 pounds and measures in at 9 feet, 8 inches long.
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About the South Florida Museum
As the largest natural and cultural history museum on Florida’s Gulf Coast, the South Florida Museum offers engaging exhibits as well as educational programs that interpret the scientific and cultural knowledge of Florida, the world and our universe. In addition to permanent exhibits, the Museum features a constantly changing lineup of temporary exhibitions — offering something new to discover with each visit. The Museum includes the all-digital Bishop Planetarium Theater and the Parker Manatee Aquarium. Celebrating its 50th anniversary year, the Bishop Planetarium is the Gulf Coast’s premier astronomy education facility, outfitted with a state-of-the-art Planetarium and projection system with stunning multimedia capabilities. The Parker Manatee Aquarium is home to Snooty™, Manatee County’s official mascot and the oldest known manatee in the world, as certified by Guinness World Records. Snooty shares his Aquarium pool with other manatees that have been injured or orphaned and are being rehabilitated for return to the wild as part of the Manatee Rehabilitation and Release Partnership.
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