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 […]
Tag: manatee
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 […]
Florida Manatees Dying Due to Famine
A new report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) found that manatees are dying due to a seagrass famine. 739 manatee deaths have been recorded as of May 14. Last year, a total of 277 manatees were reported dead. The high for 2021 is already exceeded the five-year average, as well as […]
Petition: Hundreds of Manatees Have Died in 2021. Urge Florida to Protect the Ocean!
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 […]
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. […]