Post by M. Hawbaker on Jan 11, 2021 21:19:56 GMT
Federal and state wildlife officials are investigating the apparent harassment of a manatee that had the word “Trump” written on its back.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are looking into the incident, spokespeople said.
The sighting was reported to federal authorities over the weekend. A video of the manatee swimming in the Blue Hole in the Homosassa River was first reported in the Citrus County Chronicle on Monday. It was unclear how the word was applied, whether it had been scraped on the algae that often grows on the backs of the slow-moving sea cows, or drawn in some other way.
Christina Meister from FWS’ public affairs office and Susan Neel, a spokeswoman at FWC, said the agencies would provide more information about the case later.
Manatees are protected under federal law, which makes it illegal to harass, hunt, capture or kill the marine mammals. The manatee is also protected by the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978, which states: “It is unlawful for any person, at any time, intentionally or negligently, to annoy, molest, harass, or disturb any manatee.”
Anyone convicted of violating this state law faces a possible maximum fine of $500 and or imprisonment for up to 60 days. Conviction on the federal level is punishable by fines of up to $50,000 and as much as one year in prison.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are looking into the incident, spokespeople said.
The sighting was reported to federal authorities over the weekend. A video of the manatee swimming in the Blue Hole in the Homosassa River was first reported in the Citrus County Chronicle on Monday. It was unclear how the word was applied, whether it had been scraped on the algae that often grows on the backs of the slow-moving sea cows, or drawn in some other way.
Christina Meister from FWS’ public affairs office and Susan Neel, a spokeswoman at FWC, said the agencies would provide more information about the case later.
Manatees are protected under federal law, which makes it illegal to harass, hunt, capture or kill the marine mammals. The manatee is also protected by the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978, which states: “It is unlawful for any person, at any time, intentionally or negligently, to annoy, molest, harass, or disturb any manatee.”
Anyone convicted of violating this state law faces a possible maximum fine of $500 and or imprisonment for up to 60 days. Conviction on the federal level is punishable by fines of up to $50,000 and as much as one year in prison.
Whether a person loves or hates the man, writing TRUMP on a living creature this way is ignorant.