Colder temperatures keeping manatees away from where the food is, environmentalist says
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - Manatees typically gather toward warmer water, but with temperatures in the 50s across Central Florida, environmentalists say they are staying far away from where the food is and as a result, starving.
"I really believe that we have become numb to this. I think that it is being normalized that now dead manatees have become a part of our daily life. People feel like they can’t do anything anyway. So, it is a discussion, but we need to take action," environmentalist Stel Bailey said. "It is devastating for me to see these manatees in the situation that they are in."
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Bailey has been out every day near the Indian River Lagoon for a year watching the manatees.
"I took part in helping push for the unusual mortality event because of what I was witnessing, not only as an environmental health advocate but as a community member where this is in my backyard," Bailey said.
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The Save The Manatees Executive Director Patrick Rose says he blames the manatee die-off on a toxic, polluted lagoon, and as a result, a lack of seagrass for the manatees.
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