MELBOURNE, Fla. — Toxic, oxygen-depleting algae blooms are killing manatees at a record-breaking pace this year in Florida, biologists say.
Through Tuesday, 769 endangered sea cows have died so far this year across the Sunshine State, the Save the Manatee Club reported. That constitutes Florida’s largest annual manatee die-off since record-keeping began, with two more months left to go.
The previous record of 766 documented dead manatees was set in 2010. That’s when hundreds succumbed to cold stress during an unusually chilly winter and spring, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologists determined.
Source: USA Today
