Thousands have supported a petition that proposes a memorial to Confederate veterans in Bradenton, Fla. be replaced with a statue of the city's Snooty the manatee, USA Today reported on Tuesday.
Snooty was listed as the world's oldest manatee in captivity in the Guinness World Records and was believed to be the oldest living manatee in the world. More than 4,000 people have signed since Bradenton resident Anthony Pusateri created the petition on change.com.
"To honor Snooty's legacy [of almost 70 years] as a positive icon in Bradenton, I propose that the negative symbol of racism and oppression that is the Confederate monument . . . that stands directly in front of the old courthouse just blocks away from the aquarium where Snooty resided . . . be relocated and replaced with a statue of Snooty the Manatee," which died over the weekend.
Pusateri told the Bradenton Herald that he thought of the idea after hearing of Snooty's death and recalling some had called for the Confederate statue to be removed, saying "Why not do two birds, with one stone?"
Pusateri said he plans to submit the petition for consideration by the city and the county.
TV station WFLA reported that Snooty died at the South Florida Museum aquarium in "simply a heartbreaking accident" when he became trapped in a hatch door and drowned.
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