Following legal pressure from environmental groups, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has agreed to update important habitat safeguards for manatees, as the animals continue to die in record numbers. Last year, more than 1,000 manatees perished in Florida, accounting for more than 10% of the state’s population and making it the bloodiest year […]
Tag: manatee
Researchers unsure why Florida manatees are appearing in Mexico and Cuba
Several sightings of a manatee and her calf in a power plant intake canal near the Cuban town of Santa Cruz del Norte, about 33 miles (54 kilometers) east of Havana, occurred throughout the winter and spring of 2007. Manatees aren’t known to frequent the canals of Cuban power plants. This type of behavior is […]
Support our petition to stop Florida manatees starving
The iconic and attractive Florida manatees are being wiped out by starvation. These magnificent marine creatures are on the verge of extinction. More than 1,100 Florida manatees died last year, more than ever before, according to officials. More than 300 manatees have been recorded deceased in just the first two months of this year. The […]
Attempt to feed manatees fails so far, but effort to hold off starvation will continue
An attempt to feed starving manatees appears to have failed so far, as the big marine mammals refuse to recognize floating lettuce as food. State and federal wildlife officials undertook the unusual step of offering food to manatees last month after an unprecedented number of deaths last year, most from starvation. The cause was the […]
Over 200 Species From Amazon Rainforest Sold Illegally in Peru Markets
A recent undercover investigation by World Animal Protection revealed that over 200 species from the Amazon rainforest are being sold at a market in Peru. All kinds of animals, in varying degrees of neglect, were found there, including dolphins, sloths, manatees, jaguars, turtles, and primates. Many of the animals were being sold to be used […]
The surprising ways sharks keep the ocean healthy
Sharks, among the fiercest predators in the ocean, are also some of the most vulnerable. Three-quarters of open-ocean shark and ray species are threatened with extinction, primarily because of overfishing. For years, scientists have warned that these plummeting numbers could be catastrophic. Because sharks are top predators that help keep the food web in check, […]
Record number of manatees die in Florida as food source dries up
More manatees have died already this year than in any other year in Florida’s recorded history, primarily from starvation due to the loss of seagrass beds, state officials have said. The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission reported that 841 manatee deaths were recorded between 1 January and 2 July, breaking the previous record of […]
As Seagrass Habitats Decline, Florida Manatees Are Dying Of Starvation
In Florida, wildlife managers and environmental groups are stunned by a record number of manatee deaths. More than 750 manatees have died since the beginning of the year, the most deaths ever recorded in a five month period. Most of the deaths are in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon, where a large die-off of seagrass has […]