Federal authorities are investigating after a manatee in Florida was discovered with the word “TRUMP” scrawled on its back.
A spokesman for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service told BuzzFeed News that the mammal did not appear to be “seriously injured”, saying the word was evidently etched into the algae on its skin.
An underwater video shared with Fox 35 News in Orlando by boat captain Hailey Warrington showed the marks on the manatee as it moved along the Homosassa River.
Wildlife officials are looking for the person who scraped the word “TRUMP” on the back of a manatee in the Homosassa River in northern Florida. HISTORY: https://t.co/uZnvQ94V3V 🎥: Hailey Warrington
@ fox35orlando / Twitter / Via Twitter: @ fox35orlando
Warrington told the local TV station that she spotted the manatee, which she recognized as a regular in the area, while she led an excursion on Sunday.
“It was an unusual thing for us to see,” she said, adding that although it didn’t appear to be hurt, “it looked like the animal was very upset.”
Manatees, which are protected by the Endangered Species Act, are slow-moving herbivores without natural predators. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, humans regularly pose a danger to mammals, especially with boat crashes.
The center is offering a $ 5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
“Manatees are not billboards, and people shouldn’t be dealing with these sensitive and threatened animals for any reason,” said Jaclyn Lopez, director of the center in Florida. “However, this political graffiti was placed on this manatee, it is a crime to interfere with these creatures, which are protected by several federal laws.”
Attacking or harassing a manatee is a federal crime punishable by up to one year in prison and a $ 50,000 fine.
Anyone with information about the incident should call the US Fishing and Wildlife Service Crime Tips hotline at 1-844-397-8477 or email [email protected].