Florida manatees, the gentle sea mammals known as 'sea cows,' are dying in Florida at an alarming rate, mostly of starvation as their main staple of sea grass disappears in the state's Panhandle region, according to experts.
In this photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, a 1,295-pound rehabilitated male manatee with healed head wounds rests before being released back to Florida Keys waters in 2022. Florida manatees, the gentle sea mammals known as "sea cows," are dying in Florida at an alarming rate, mostly of starvation as their main staple of sea grass disappears in the state's Panhandle region, according to experts.
Manatees are a protected species in Florida but their environment is not. They are particularly vulnerable because aside from the scarcity of sea grass in their habitats, they are also being affected by water pollution, injured by boats and killed by red tide events, a toxic algal bloom.Their populations on the western part of the Florida Panhandle are faring better thanks to lower human activity, fewer boats, less pollution and greater efforts to restore coastal ecosystems and grow sea grass.
"We have fully completed about 80 acres thus far and it's been so successful that the 80 acres of grass we've planted has actually expanded to over 250 acres ," Mailliez added.
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