Miami, United States:
Wildlife authorities in Florida on Monday appealed for assist in identifying who was accountable for scratching the name “Trump” on to the hide of a manatee.
The appeal by the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) came right after the Citrus County Chronicle published video that clearly showed the name of the US president etched on to the back of 1 of the big, slow-moving marine mammals.
Craig Cavanna, an investigating officer for the federal service, told the regional newspaper that he was unable to comment “on a current, ongoing investigation.”
He mentioned whoever was accountable faced a fine of up to $50,000 and a year in a federal prison for harming a protected species.
The manatee was spotted on Sunday, 4 days right after Donald Trump supporters stormed the seat of the US Congress in Washington, leaving 5 men and women dead. It was not clear when the animal was harmed.
It was swimming in the waters of the Homosassa River on the west coast of Florida, exactly where the animals collect at this time of year in search of warmer waters.
The shallow waters of the canals make the manatees accessible to vacationers who take boat excursions to swim amongst the big but harmless creatures. That also tends to make the creatures more vulnerable to attack by humans.
Florida is house to about 7,500 of the gentle herbivores, which are associated to elephants and have whiskers on their muzzles and a spoon tail. They are also identified as “sea cows.”
Despite their size — they can develop to 4 meters in length and weigh half a ton — they are quickly hurt by the boats that speed about the state’s waterways and coastal waters.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, of the 637 manatees that died in 2020, 90 have been victims of collisions with boats and 15 other people have been killed by other interactions with humans.
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