'Trump' Etched Into Back Of FL Manatee In Citrus County: Report

Bradenton FL

11 January, 2021

3:51 PM

Description

CITRUS COUNTY, FL — Federal authorities want to know who etched the word "Trump" into the algae on the back of a Florida manatee, the Citrus County Chronicle reported. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is asking for information from the public as they work to identify the person who harassed the manatee, which was found Sunday at the head of the Homosassa River. While Craig Cavanna, the senior federal wildlife officer investigating the case, couldn't comment on the incident, he told the Chronicle that the manatee is protected by the Endangered Species Act. That makes it a Class A, federal criminal offense to harass them. Doing so is punishable by a $50,000 fine and/or up to one year in federal prison, reports said. West Indian manatees, "essential members of the ecosystems in which they inhabit," are also protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, Aurelia Skipwith, director of the USFWS, said. "The (USFWS) is aware of this incident and is working closely with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission," she added. "If you have any information regarding this case, please call our wildlife crime tips hotline at 1-844-397-8477 or email us at [email protected]." Though they were previously considered endangered, thanks to efforts to protect the species, manatees have been downgraded to "threatened" status, according to the USFWS website. Manatees, nicknamed "sea cows" because of their eating habits, are commonly found in Florida, making their way to the Sunshine State seasonally, the USFWS said. Though at one point their population dipped to just above 1,200 in the early 1990s, today there are more than 6,300 manatees in Florida. In addition to federal laws, there is also a state mandate protecting the warm-blooded mammals that seek refuge in Florida's warmer waters each winter, particularly along the Nature Coast. The Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978 protects "manatees from harmful collisions with motorboats and from harassment; (protects) manatee habitats, such as seagrass beds, from destruction by boats or other human activity; and (provides) limited safe havens where manatees can rest, feed, reproduce, give birth or nurse undisturbed by human activity." Though the manatee is beloved by many Floridians, there have still been cases of their being harassed by humans. Last year, a Tampa fishing boat campaign landed in federal court after poking a manatee off Weedon Island with his fishing rod. In 2012, a St. Petersburg woman made headlines for riding a manatee at Fort DeSoto Park.