A manatee was found with the word “TRUMP” scrawled on the back of a lake in Florida, which led to an investigation by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
The helpless animal was spotted with the political inscription over the weekend at the head of the Blue Hole on the Homosassa River in Citrus County – about 130 kilometers northwest of Orlando, reported the Citrus County Chronicle.
Witnesses reported the animal to federal authorities, the vehicle said.
“From experience, this is not typical of this community,” Craig Cavanna, senior federal wildlife officer in charge of the investigation, told the channel.
“Wildlife conservation is a key value in Citrus County. That is why it is called the Nature Coast. “
Cavana said that harassment of manatees, which are protected by the Endangered Species Act, is a federal Class A crime that led to a $ 50,000 fine and / or up to one year in federal prison, the agency said.
Cavana and his team are hunting the person, or people, responsible for the description of the manatee and are currently “following tracks,” he told the outlet.
The slow-moving, indolent creatures migrate into spring-fed waters along the county’s west coast seasonally and are easily accessible to people on boats or swimmers, the channel said.
The USFWS is asking anyone with information to report to 800-404-FWCC.