Experts
blame a cold snap at the beginning of the year and algae bloom in the Gulf of
Mexico for the fatalities
Associated
Press
Tue 21
Aug 2018 00.01 BSTLast modified on Tue 21 Aug
2018 15.19 BST
Manatees
are dying in alarming numbers in Florida this year – the toll significantly
increased by the “red
tide” toxic algae bloom blighting large areas of the coast
and threatening wildlife and tourism.
More of
the large, slow-moving herbivores, also known as sea cows, have died so far in
2018 than all of last year, according to state wildlife statistics reported on
Monday.
A total
of 540 manatees had died by 12 August this year, compared with 538 in 2017.
Experts blame a cold snap at the beginning of the year and the tide of algae in
the Gulf of Mexico for the fatalities.
“We
expect the red tide related manatee death toll to rise,” said Jeff Ruch,
executive director for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a
Washington-based non-profit. “We suspect there are a number of carcasses that
have not been reported yet.”
Statistics
from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission say that red tide is to blame for at least 97 manatee deaths.
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The toxic
algae bloom has overrun Florida’s southern Gulf Coast this summer, devastating
sea life and driving people from the water. Over the weekend, television
newscasts warned viewers before they showed graphic video of dead manatees in
the water.
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