Fla. Aquarium Shares Cause of Death Details for Manatee Who Died During 'Heightened Mating Behavior'

A necropsy found that Hugh the manatee's April death was the result of a fatal injury caused by another manatee's "high-intensity sexual behavior"

The Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in Sarasota, Florida, is sharing more details on Hugh the manatee's sudden death on April 29.

According to ABC7, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently completed their necropsy report on Hugh and found the marine mammal's cause of death to be a fatal injury caused by "high-intensity sexual behavior" with his older brother, Buffett.

Hugh died due to a "14.5-centimeter rip in his colon caused by a sexual encounter with another male manatee," the USDA shared in its necropsy report, per ABC7.

"Facility representatives, employees observed high-intensity sexual behavior between two adult male manatees," the report stated.

Related: Florida Marine Research Institute Rescues Baby Manatee from 'Rough Waters' in Belize

"The sexual behavior continued throughout the day with periods of rest between high-intensity interactions and occasional penetration. At approximately 5:15 pm, the larger male was observed penetrating the smaller male again. When the larger male swam away, the smaller male was seen unresponsive at the bottom of the pool," the USDA added in its inspection report.

According to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, USDA officials also claimed in the report that the Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium failed to "handle Hugh expeditiously and as carefully as possible to prevent trauma and physical harm, resulting in the death of the animal."

The aquarium followed up the USDA's report on the 38-year-old manatee's death with a statement on social media Tuesday. In a post on Facebook, Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium shared a description of Hugh's final day and how "throughout the events leading up to Hugh's passing, Mote acted within the professional standards and practices that we have observed throughout the 27 years Hugh and Buffett have lived together at Mote, and as recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP)."

"Given the recent media coverage of the events surrounding the passing of our beloved and recently deceased resident manatee, Hugh, it is important that we share an overview of the facts to ensure complete clarity on the cause of Hugh's death," the Florida aquarium started the post.

"On the day of Hugh's passing, Hugh and Buffett engaged in natural, yet increased, mating behavior observed and documented in manatees both in managed care and in the wild. This was the first time such heightened mating behavior was witnessed between the two manatees. However, each year, like other male manatees in both the wild and in managed care, Hugh and Buffett would exhibit approximately two months of seasonal behavioral changes including, but not limited to, an increase in sexual behavior," the facility added, noting that the "manatees were under heightened observation throughout the day" and that Hugh and Buffett were "observed initiating and mutually seeking interactions from each other throughout the day."

Related: Florida Feeding Effort to Help Ailing Manatees Deemed a Success After Animals Eat All the Food

The statement continued, "There were no obvious signs of discomfort or distress such as listing, crunching, or active avoidance that would have triggered a need for intervention. Following the direction of the veterinarians, distraction rather than physical separation was chosen because separation has previously caused undue anxiety and negative effects in both manatees. In an effort to redirect the manatees' attention and decrease undesirable behaviors, animal care staff used positive reinforcement tools such as high-value rewards and enrichment that had previously been successful."

Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium concluded its statement by sharing that it is still mourning the loss of the manatee and that in response to Hugh's death, it plans to redouble "our efforts to ensure our animal care operations meet or exceed existing and evolving policies, recommendations and guideline of the AZA, MRP, Animal Welfare Act, USFWS and USDA."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Born at the Miami Seaquarium, Hugh had lived at the Mote Aquarium since 1996 and was beloved by visitors.

Before his death, Hugh had been famous for correctly predicting Super Bowl winners several years in a row along with his brother Buffett.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.