Florida manatee found with word "Trump" carved on its back and investigation is launched
A Florida manatee was discovered with word “Trump” scratched on its back forcing the start of the investigation by The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
A manatee is an official protected animal. The vandalized sea creature was found by a local man. The images of the animal with President’s name on it went viral on Monday.
“It’s heartbreaking that this manatee was subjected to this vile, criminal act,” said Jaclyn Lopez, the director of Florida’s Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit group that protects endangered animals. “It’s clear that whoever harmed this defenseless, gentle giant is capable of doing grave violence and needs to be apprehended immediately.”
Here is the video of the poor manatee that had "TRUMP" carved into its body.
— Yashar Ali ???? (@yashar) January 11, 2021
Minding it's own business and some monster(s) came along and did this.
If you have information on the person(s) who committed this federal crime please call 888-404-3922 https://t.co/maOImIxQS0 pic.twitter.com/Yx2qaGhFXe
The responsible for this act of stupidity may be punished by a $500 fine or may face up to 60 days in jail as it is “unlawful for any person, at any time, intentionally or negligently, to annoy, molest, harass, or disturb any manatee.”
In fact, the manatee or how it is also called “sea cow” hasn’t suffered any real injuries in the incident, according to The US Fish and Wildlife Service. The person who did this only scraped seaweed off the animal’s back to put letters on.
The Center for Biological Diversity is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in the case.