Manatee slaughter off Florida: marine animals no longer have food due to man-made pollution
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himManatee slaughter off Florida: marine animals no longer have food due to man-made pollution
I manatees they are majestic creatures, and their presence in the Florida sea attracts the attention of tourists as well as locals. Unfortunately, however, the worsening of water pollution due to intensive agriculture, domestic sewage and other pollutants it is causing the extinction of their favorite food: the sea grass. In October alone, nearly 1.000 manatees died of starvation due to lack of food. The number of dead animals this year is set to double compared to last year (when there were 593 dead manatees). These figures are particularly worrying especially when compared with the average five years ago, when 146 deaths were counted. The population of manatees in Florida is around 10.000 individuals: starting from 2016, the species has been classified as "endangered".
Pollution of the manatee habitat due to sewage is creating unusual algae blooms on the surface of the water. These prevent sunlight from reaching the sea grass, which needs light to live and grow: without sunlight, the grass dies and the manatees are left with less and less food to survive - it is estimated that as early as 58 % of the seagrass in the Indian River lagoon has died from pollution. Sea grass is a marine plant characterized by long green leaves and represents one of the most productive ecosystems in the world: it produces oxygen and offers habitat and food to many wild animals; moreover, it is able to capture and retain CO2 from the atmosphere, helping to reduce pollution (it is estimated that every year 80 million cubic tons of carbon dioxide are removed from the atmosphere by this plant).
(Read also: Manatees are starving, never have so many died in just two months in Florida)
Food scarcity isn't the only threat to manatee survival: these animals are often killed in collisions with boats, by too cold water currents or by toxic algae blooms. With the winter season upon us, experts fear that the number of dead manatees will rise again by the end of the year. This is why the Florida government is funding several projects for the protection and reconstruction of the habitat of manatees (have been allocated so far 8 million dollars). Unfortunately, actions to combat pollution are too slow to be truly effective, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has asked local governments to allocate an additional 7 million to financially support rehabilitation centers for manatees.
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Fonte: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
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