Adults and young manatees swim together on Wednesday, February 16, 2022, in the canals of Coral Gables, Florida. Round-tailed nose-nosed animals, popular with locals and tourists, suffer great death due to their favorite seagrass. Food sources are disappearing due to water pollution from water sources such as agriculture, cities and septic tanks. (AP Photo / Rebecca Blackwell)
ST. Petersburg, Florida (AP) —Unprecedented human efforts to feed hungry Florida manatees have provided more than 25 tons of lettuce to adorable marine mammals so far, officials said Wednesday.
Round-tailed nose-nosed animals, popular with locals and tourists, suffer from major decline as their preferred seagrass food sources are depleted due to water pollution in agriculture, cities, septic tanks, etc. is.
According to authorities, a feeding program that includes romaine lettuce donated at the Florida Power & Light plant on the East Coast attracts about 300 to 350 manatees per day. Sometimes there are as many as 800 manatees, and sometimes less than 60 when traveling through waterways.
“We are making a difference,” said Ron Meszic of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at an online press conference on Wednesday. “It gives us maximum exposure to the maximum number of animals.”
Last year, 1,101 manatee deaths were recorded, primarily due to hunger. A typical five-year average is about 625 deaths. So far this year, manatees have killed 164 people and only five in a boat crash, according to state wildlife commission statistics.
“We have seen an increase in mortality,” said Tom Reinert, FWC South Regional Director and Spokesperson for the State Federal Efforts to Save Manatees. “We are adjusting the program to feed the manatees as much as possible.”
Wildlife experts usually do not recommend feeding wildlife as they begin to connect humans to food. And while many people say they want to help, it remains a crime for people to feed their own manatees.
The best way is to donate money through a sponsored organization and always report sick or struggling manatees.
“Give them your money,” Reinert said.
The big picture is that there are an estimated 8,800 manatees in the waters of Florida. This is a major improvement over about 2,000 animals in the 1990s and is one of the reasons for delisting from animals threatened by endangered species by the federal government.
However, despite this extraordinary death, Reinert said the manatees are only 1% likely to become extinct in the wild. What is important is the restoration of seagrass beds. This is a long-term project so far funded in $ 8 million in state dollars.
“You can’t go out and plant a lot of seaweed,” he said. “The project has started and is in the planning stage.”
Officials: Florida’s plan gave manatees 25 tonnes of lettuce | WGN Radio 720
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