Manatee harassment investigated after word ‘Trump’ was found scratched on animal’s back

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The manatee was discovered in the Homosassa River in Florida on Sunday with the president’s name in capital letters on the back, according to a press release from the Center for Biological Diversity.

It is not known what was used to mark the animal.

The center announced a reward of $ 5,000 for information leading to a conviction of the person responsible, according to a press release.

“Manatees are not billboards, and people shouldn’t play with these sensitive and endangered animals for any reason,” said Jaclyn Lopez, Florida director at the Center for Biological Diversity.

“No matter how this political graffiti has been put on this manatee, it is a crime to interfere with these creatures, which are protected by multiple federal laws.”

Officials from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are investigating. Anyone with information can call the commission’s hotline at (888) 404-3922.

Florida manatees are slow plant eaters, also known as “sea cows”. The manatee is a subspecies of the West Indian manatee, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The animals are protected by the law on endangered species; harassing a manatee is a federal crime.

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