Snooty turns 68 on July 21st and visitors can join his party on Saturday, July 23, 2016 from 10 am until 2 pm at the South Florida Museum for Snooty's 68th Birthday Bash & Wildlife Festival. This annual event will celebrate Snooty's 68th birthday and promote wildlife awareness. The outdoor event is held in the Spanish Plaza by the Manatee River and is FREE from 10 am to 2 pm for all Snooty's friends and fans. If you share your birthday with Snooty entrance to the Museum, Planetarium & Aquarium is also FREE.

Snooty, the local celebrity and mascot of the Bradenton Area in Florida, officially recognised by the Guinness World Records as the oldest living manatee in captivity. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (which monitors the manatee population), deaths of manatees in the wild are typically being documented before 15 years of age on average. Meaning Snooty is a pretty impressive manatee!

About Snooty:

In short, he's one of the most renowned stewards for endangered species and the environment, having taught researchers much of what they know about manatees. He was the first recorded birth of a manatee in captivity, weighs in at 1,020 pounds, is 9 feet 8 inches long and he's greeted more than two million visitors in his lifetime – and “met” even more on the live, online SnootyCam. His favorite foods are lettuce, carrots, broccoli and sweet potatoes. Snooty eats 70 pounds of lettuce and an additional 10 pounds of vegetables every day. When he's not eating, he's helping to rehabilitate injured manatees as, in addition to being Snooty's home, the Parker Manatee Aquarium at the South Florida Museum is also a second stage rehabilitation center for injured manatees

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Located between St. Petersburg and Sarasota on Florida's west coast, Anna Maria Island & Longboat Key, and their coastal companions, Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch, are treasured for their authentic Old Florida charm, breath-taking scenery, funky dining and shopping districts, and 16 miles of sugar-white sands.

For further press information contact Hannah Mulvey or Ela Ayhan on 0207 367 6745 or email hannah@goshpr.co.uk / ela@goshpr.co.uk