There’s no way to pretend Florida’s manatees aren’t endangered. They are. In every sense of the word.
The official tally of deaths this year stands at 1,038 (as of Dec. 3 — more have died since then). That’s more than twice the annual average of the last five years — and nearly one-sixth of the entire population of manatees in the southeastern United States and Puerto Rico. In one year.
Even worse, the biggest factor in this “unusual mortality event,” (as federal wildlife officials blandly tag it) is one that won’t be getting better any time soon. In fact, deaths may accelerate as Florida moves into colder-weather months. The problem is simple and horrible: Manatees are starving to death, particularly in the Indian River Lagoon, where the ecosystem is in a state of wholesale collapse after decades of pollution and inaction on the part of local, state and federal officials. Dozens have been taken to various rehab centers across the state for a laborious, monthslong recovery, but too often, the slow-moving mammals aren’t spotted until it’s too late to save them — as was the case with a baby manatee found last week, with The Sentinel’s Kevin Spear on hand to document the grim and grisly task of removing his carcass from the water.
