In 2021, over 540 Florida manatees have been found dead. In only three and a half months, the number has become dangerously close to 578, the average number of manatees that die per year. The Working Group on Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Events has classified the situation as an Unusual Mortality Event. Scientists are investigating […]
Tag: manatee
Leaking Phosphate Plant Puts Tampa Bay’s Manatees At Risk
Tampa Bay is facing a potential environmental catastrophe that could jeopardize decades of efforts to improve water quality and wildlife habitat for manatees, dolphins, fish, and sea turtles. An ongoing leak at the former Piney Point phosphate plant site has already released more than a hundred million gallons of industrial wastewater directly into the bay. […]
Manatee deaths by watercraft rising at record pace in Florida
Wildlife experts have blamed toxic red tide algae and a cold snap for the deadly 2018 experienced by manatees, but so far this year, boats are the primary cause. From the beginning of this year through June 21, 81 manatees have been killed by watercraft in Florida’s waters, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife […]
Wildlife for sale: An illegal activity out of control in Peru?
Peru is one of the most biodiverse nations on earth, home to one-tenth of the Amazon rainforest and other ecosystems. But its species are sought by collectors around the world and there is a thriving domestic trade in wildlife which together forms one of the country’s most profitable illicit economies running parallel to its impressively […]
POLL: Should the manatees’ endangered status be reduced?
A US government move to downgrade the conservation status of manatees and green sea turtles is premature, an environment group has warned, despite encouraging signs that both species are recovering. The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has proposed that the West Indian manatee be down-listed from endangered to threatened under the endangered species act. […]
Video: Natural Springs Offer a Unique Encounter With Manatees
Manatees glide through warm waters in and around Three Sisters Springs in Crystal River, Florida, a winter shelter from colder ocean temperatures. In the heart of Florida’s Gulf Coast lies one of the only places in the world where humans are encouraged to interact with these curious creatures. The practice has been controversial, but permission […]
Florida’s manatees loved to death in this timelapse video
Manatee are those teddy bears of the sea. Rotund, gentle sea-cows that everyone loves to be around — an unfortunate thing, for the manatees. We’ve written about the plight of Florida’s manatees in the past — images from photographer Rebecca Jackrel show the beauty of the creatures as well as the dangers they face in […]
Red Tide Takes a Toll on Florida Manatees
Over the last two months, 180 manatees have been found dead along the coasts of Florida. The friendly and well-loved creatures of Florida’s waters are currently being threatened by an outbreak of red tide, an algal bloom which has proved to be toxic to the species. A harmful toxin in the algae enters the nervous […]