The state of Florida is making an effort to save starving manatees whose food is imperiled by polluted waterways. Across the US there are about eighty manatees in wildlife centers receiving treatment and food according to figures released by the Florida Department of Wildlife and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The state has provided about $1.2 million to fund treatment at 13 locations in the US. The sea grass on which they normally feed is disappearing along the Florida coast, a result of pollution from power plants, agricultural runoff and urban wastewater discharges.
Last year, an estimated 1100 manatees died of starvation. This year 326 have died through last week. Feeding of manatees on surplus lettuce continues at Florida Power & Light in Brevard County. Manatee often congregate in waters warmed by power plant discharges in the winter. More than 63,000 lbs of lettuce has been feed, supplied through donations to the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida. There are now an estimated 8,800 manatees in Florida waters, up from 2,000 in the 1990s. Their decline in numbers was a major reason for them being listed under the federal Endangered Species Act.
