FLORIDA: 355 Manatees Dead So Far This Year

 

The die-off of Florida manatees goes on. Their marine habitat is choked with mass tonnage of red tide, starving these gentle sea creatures and pushing them to the brink. Please help us save them with a donation to the Saving Life on Earth Fund. So far this year, more than 350 manatees have perished. With their habitat polluted and their food supply vanishing, more than 2,000 have now died over the past two years. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service prematurely reduced protection for them in 2017. The results have been disastrous. Many of the deaths have occurred on the east coast of Florida, in the Indian River Lagoon. But the largest number of manatee deaths this year have been near the Gulf of Mexico, after hurricanes last summer made landfall and deposited toxic pollution from fertilizers. This nutrient pollution poisons habitat, contributing to harmful algal blooms and throwing marine ecosystems out of whack. We petitioned the Service to give manatees back the protection they deserve, but the agency hasn't responded. So we're ready to fight it out in court to save these sea creatures, who desperately need our help. The extreme mortality event claiming more than 20% of Florida's manatees is all the evidence we need that they're in crisis. The Endangered Species Act saves almost all the species granted its full protection. It's exactly what manatees need to survive a toxic habitat and avoid extinction. We won't let manatees disappear. We'll keep fighting for them till their future is secure. Please give today to the Saving Life on Earth Fund. For the wild,

Kierán Suckling Executive Director Center for Biological Diversity   P.S. Monthly supporters who give steady gifts of $10 or $20 sustain the Center's work for wildlife. Do your part by starting a monthly donation.

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