HOMOSASSA SPRINGS, Fla. — State and federal wildlife officials are investigating reports of a manatee found with "Trump" drawn on its back in a Florida river.
The aquatic mammal was spotted over the weekend in the Homosassa River in Citrus County, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed. The area is about 80 miles north of Tampa.
"West Indian manatees are essential members of the ecosystems in which they inhabit and are protected under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act," USFWS Director Aurelia Skipwith said in a statement.
The manatee does not appear to be seriously injured, officials said. It appears that the word was written in algae that had grown on the animal's back, not scratched into its skin.
Wildlife officials are looking for any information regarding the animal's harassment. Tips can be reported at 888-404-3922. The Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit group that protects endangered animals, is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in the case.
Harassing a manatee, a federal crime, is punishable by a $50,000 fine and up to one year in prison.
14 endangered or threatened species that play crucial roles
These 14 endangered or threatened animals and plants play a crucial role in their ecosystems, and even in human life.
Monarch butterflies
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been petitioned to determine endangered status and will do so soon. Monarch butterflies pollinate wildflowers that support ecosystems.
Cork oak
The tree from which wine corks come is home to endangered species like the Iberian lynx and Iberian Imperial Eagle, according to the World Wildlife Fund for Nature. The industry that makes wine corks is environmentally sustainable and provides a home for these creatures, but the rise in artificial wine corks threatens the trees and the shelter they create. While the trees themselves aren’t endangered, threats to the cork industry threaten the endangered species that call these trees home.
james-wainscoat-_f8IZ0gGS6E-unsplash_CMYK.jpg
WORLD-NEWS-ENDANGERED-ANIMALS-4-GET
A Great hammerhead shark on March 27, 2004 in the Bahamas. Shark shepherd Jim Abernathy has spent an incredible 35 years interacting with sharks underwater and BONDED with some of the largest and most fearsome predators ion the seas. The 52-year-old, from Florida, has won the trust of many individual sharks - so much so that they follow him around like meek puppy dogs. He loves the animals so much - spending 320 days a year with them for two decades - that he has even shunned the idea of finding true love with a GIRLFRIEND or WIFE. Using his incredible relationship with sharks he has managed to capture extraordinary close up pictures of the wild predatory fish in their natural habitats in the Bahamas, Mexico and South Africa. During his career he has dived with schools of up to 20 tiger sharks - a species known as one of few man eaters - 24 basking sharks, 70 lemon sharks and a massive 350 Caribbean reef sharks. Other images show him up-close-and-personal with 15foot tiger shark Emma. His new book 'Sharks Up Close' tells the story of the larger sharks of the world and aims to educate about the importance of the animals' conservation from fishing and is available on hardback for £15.75 from Amazon or www.scuba-adventures.com (Jim Abernethy / Barcroft Media / Getty Images/TNS)
STOCK_HONEY BEE.jpg
SONY DSC
WORLD-NEWS-ENDANGERED-ANIMALS-GET
KHABAROVSK TERRITORY, RUSSIA - AUGUST 8, 2018: Bowhead whales in the Vrangel Bay, 50km of the southern border of the Shantar Islands National Park. The bowhead whales, also known as Greenland right whales, can weigh from 75 to 100 tonnes and occupy the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort (BCB) region. The population of the whales is 10,000. Yuri Smityuk/TASS (by Yuri Smityuk\TASS via Getty Images/TNS)
WORLD-NEWS-ENDANGERED-ANIMALS-6-GET
A blue footed booby stands amongst cacti on Isabela island on January 23, 2019 in Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. A growing human population and the influx of tourism on the Galapagos islands has created challenges in conserving the UNESCO World Heritage site and it's endemic wildlife. The volcanic archipelago in the Pacific Ocean consists of 13 major islands, 4 of which are inhabited by humans. Much of the Ecuadorian province is protected, but a booming tourism industry has meant the wildlife has had to adapt to a growing human presence. (Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images for Lumix/TNS)
WORLD-NEWS-ENDANGERED-ANIMALS-8-GET
People ride a bike past burnt a teak tree forest in Bago region on April 5, 2014. Myanmar accounts for nearly one third of the world's total teak production. (Ye Aung Thu/AFP via Getty Images)
amy-reed-XB5E4D-Ipco-unsplash_CMYK.jpg
q-u-i-0G01UI1MQhg-unsplash (1)_CMYK.jpg
WORLD-NEWS-ENDANGERED-ANIMALS-10-GET
A sea otter feeds in the small boat harbor on April 4, 2004 near Valdez, Alaska. Sea otters reportedly have a high rate of liver damage following the Exxon Valdez oil disaster. Fifteen years after the Exxon Valdez supertanker split open on a submerged reef and spilled 11 millions gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound on March 24, 1989, legal fights continue. Experts thought the crude would be gone by 1995 but oil still clings to rocks on once-pristine beaches where sea otters digging into relatively fresh oil are still unleashing toxins. Residents and scientists are pushing for a $100 million re-opener of the landmark $900 million civil settlement Exxon signed in 1991 to resolve environmental claims before it expires in 2006, amid fear that the Bush administration will not attempt to secure the additional $100 million. (David McNew/Getty Images/TNS)
WORLD-NEWS-ENDANGERED-ANIMALS-11-GET
A man loads yellowfin tuna into his boat to take to a customer, at Male fish market on December 16, 2019 in Male, Maldives. The Maldives is the worlds lowest lying country with a highest natural point of just 2.4 meters above sea level. As well as an increasing population, the nation faces a number of problems caused by climate change including declining fish stocks. Fish has traditionally formed a large part of the Maldives diet but numbers are now coming under increasing pressure because of changes in sea temperatures which are also having an adverse affect on coral life in the region. (Carl Court/Getty Images/TNS)
q-u-i-0G01UI1MQhg-unsplash (2)_CMYK.jpg
WORLD-NEWS-ENDANGERED-ANIMALS-13-GET
Borneo orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) are seen in Salat island as haze from the forest fires blanket the area at Marang on September 15, 2019 in the outskirts of Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Illegal blazes to clear land for agricultural plantations have raged across Indonesia's Sumatra and Borneo islands as recent satellite data showed that the number of forest fires have jumped sharply, adding concerns on the smog across South-East Asia and the impact of increasing wildfires outbreaks worldwide due to global warming. (Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images/TNS)
