Just got this via email!! Somebody on Charleston Fishing Listed a site to sign a petition and after signing up I started getting these news letters!! Also - I believe it was Phin that stated they wanted to extend the Go Slow Zone off our coast for all boats as far out as 20 miles! Anybody think it can’t happen now??
URGENT: More than 550 manatees already dead in 2013!
Brian Skerry/National Geographic
Manatees were among the very first animals listed under the Endangered Species Act when the law was first passed, and sadly, they still face serious threats.
Manatees are dying in record numbers and their future in the wild is far from secure! Please donate today.
They are perhaps the most loveable creatures you will ever see. And they are dying at an alarming rate.
More than 550 manatees have already died in 2013 that’s over 10 percent of the Florida manatee population! The death toll in the first few months of this year has already surpassed the total number of manatees that died all of last year.
Manatees are dying at an alarming rate! Please donate today to help save them and other endangered wildlife.
This recent surge in manatee deaths was caused by toxic blooms of algae (the so-called red tide) and a huge dieoff of seagrasses, the manatees main food source.
Sadly, the worst could be yet to come.
The leading human-caused threats to these peaceful mammals are boat strikes and development of their habitat. The highest number of manatees are killed by boat collisions during the summer, and this year that season will occur AFTER a record number of manatees have already been killed adding to the already alarming mortality.
So far, at least 15 manatees have been killed by collisions with watercrafts this year, and we expect this number to rise substantially in the coming months. Some scientists believe that unless this cause of death is controlled, Florida manatees may not recover.
Manatees were among the very first animals listed under the Endangered Species Act