Florida manatee with 'Trump' etched on back prompts investigation

 


US wildlife authorities have launched an investigation after a manatee was discovered with the word 'Trump' scraped on its back.

The marine mammal was spotted on Sunday in Florida's Homosassa River, with the US president's surname on its body.

Officials told AP news agency that the animal does not appear to be seriously injured, and the word was scraped onto algae growing on its skin.

But a video of the West Indian manatee has led to public outcry.

Manatees, nicknamed "sea cows," are protected under US law, and anyone found guilty of harassing them faces up to a year in prison and a $50,000 (£37,000) fine.

Images of the animal was first shared by the Citrus County Chronical, a local newspaper, and have been widely shared on social media.


Investigations into the incident are being led by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

The Centre for Biological Diversity, a conservation charity, is also offering a $5,000 for information leading to the conviction of those responsible.

"It's heartbreaking that this manatee was subjected to this vile, criminal act," said Jaclyn Lopez, the centre's director, in a statement to local media.

"It's clear that whoever harmed this defenceless, gentle giant is capable of doing grave violence and needs to be apprehended immediately," she added.

The manatee is a large, slow-moving mammal which has become an unofficial mascot for Florida. There are around 6,300 currently in the state, according to the USFWS.

They typically gather in warmer waters around the state during the winter time as temperatures drop.

However their numbers have fallen in recent years due to habitat loss, algae blooms and strikes by fast-moving boats.

They are also vulnerable to attacks by humans while they congregate in the shallow water of local rivers and canals.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 637 manatees died in 2020, 90 of which were victims of boat collisions. Another 15 were killed by other interactions with humans.


https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55631498


https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/chronicleonline.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/ed/1ede6bd2-541f-11eb-9954-d775c68f8796/5ffc6ae0a8fa3.video.mp4

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

That Uplifting Tweet You Just Shared? A Russian Troll Sent It

Image
Here’s what Russia’s 2020 disinformation operations look like, according to two experts on social media and propaganda. By   DARREN LINVILL   &   PATRICK WARREN Internet trolls don’t troll. Not the professionals at least. Professional trolls don’t go on social media to antagonize liberals or belittle conservatives. They are not narrow minded, drunk or angry. They don’t lack basic English language skills. They certainly aren’t  “somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds,”  as the president once put it. Your stereotypical trolls do exist on social media, but the amateurs aren’t a threat to Western democracy. Professional trolls, on the other hand, are the tip of the spear in the new digital, ideological battleground. To combat the threat they pose, we must first understand them — and take them seriously. MORE: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/russia-troll-2020-election-interference-twitter-916482/ Posted by Jamie B.
Read more

The Nightmare Scenario That Keeps Election Lawyers Up At Night -- And Could Hand Trump A Second Term

Image
The Nightmare Scenario That Keeps Election Lawyers Up At Night -- And Could Hand Trump A Second Term   (Photo: Photos: Getty Images) Americans will almost certainly go to bed on Nov. 3 without knowing who won the presidential election. Since millions of people will vote by mail, constraints on time and resources will slow ballot counting into potentially a weeks-long process. Voting patterns suggest it’s likely that President  Donald Trump  could end Election Day in the lead in certain key states, only to be overtaken by Democratic opponent  Joe Biden  when more votes are tallied.  This could create a nightmare scenario during the three months stretching from Election Day to the Jan. 20 inauguration: a battle on the state and congressional level over who is the legitimate winner. This could include Congress reconvening on Jan. 6, presided over by Vice President  Mike Pence , with no consensus over its potential role in choosing the next president. This is arguably the most likely of th
Read more

Philosophical Question #14 – Lifestyle Choices

Image
Here is an interesting question in my list of philosophical questions: 1.) Should governments have penalties for those who live unhealthy lifestyles? A list of unhealthy lifestyles would include things like smoking, drinking, illegal drugs, prostitution, and other “vice” type activities. I guess the “government penalties” would be referring to monetary punishments, withholding medical treatments (insurance companies would love that), possibly imposing/regulating very high (exorbitant) prices on things considered unhealthy in order to cut down on their use, and other possibilities. 2.) Or, would you say that living an unhealthy lifestyle, likely resulting in a LOT of eventual personal pain and suffering, should be punishment enough for unhealthy lifestyles? When people make bad choices in life, often in their youth where ignorance and immediate gratification takes them over,  3.) Should a society be obligated to help "fix" them, by way of tax money?   Is that part of
Read more