Sometimes I write things and I just hate it. Like this. Thanks to a bunch of jerks Dave Bautista had to offer up a bounty to find them. Because they defaced a Manatee. It’s not a building or an inanimate object they defaced, no they decided that the right canvas for their cruelty was on a live animal. And not just any live animal, a Manatee which is under protection in Florida.
Manatees are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978. It is illegal to feed, harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, annoy, or molest manatees.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
The manatee that was found had the word TRUMP scraped into the algae on its back. I had to dig through the comments on Twitter and make sure that it was ok and still alive because that’s the most important thing. But it still sucks knowing that someone used their bare hands and carved into the back of this animal. It was taking advantage of an animal who couldn’t protect itself, even if it was the word “Love” that was carved into its back it’s still a despicable thing to do.
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Dave Bautista who is a Florida native took huge issue with this. Since he knows that this is a protected species and has a special connection with them he’s offered up his own money to find the culprits.
It’s a horrible thing for sure but hopefully someone steps forward with information. If you’re wondering how serious of a crime this is you can compare it to a case where someone just accidentally poked a manatee with a fishing rod and was fined $2,000. This is much much worse.
The incident was first reported by the Citrus County Chronicle
If you think you may have any information on this please contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 888-404-FWCC (3922). Information will be forwarded to the USFWS.
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