Alarming manatee death toll numbers in Florida push calls for endangered status

Endangered manatee swimming in water — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Image by: Peter Douglas Clark Following the nearly 2,000 manatee deaths in Florida’s coastal and inland waterways over the past two years, a coalition of environmental organizations has called for the species to be urgently reclassified as endangered. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), according

Celtics co-owner donates $2 million in an effort to protect Florida manatees

Manatees Swimming – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Thierry Eidenweil A co-owner of the Boston Celtics is donating a whopping $2 million toward protecting Florida’s manatees and their habitats following two devastating seasons of record-breaking manatee mortalities throughout the state. The Fox Rock Foundation will give $1 million each to the nonprofits Fish & Wildlife

Lion Country Safari brings a wild drive-thru experience to Florida residents

Lion Country Safari, Loxahatchee, FL — Courtesy: Shutterstock — mariakray Right here in the Sunshine State, Florida residents can immerse themselves in a four-mile safari with thriving naturalistic habitats and large herds of roaming animals. Lion Country Safari, located in Loxahatchee, is the largest drive-thru safari in the state and the first one in the

How Florida’s Key deer may be close to climate extinction

Key Deer — Courtesy: Shutterstock — moosehenderson When Hurricane Irma destroyed south Florida in September of 2017, it knocked out electricity for millions, inundated homes, and killed more than 30 people. However, the devastation was not confined to humans.  In the Florida Keys, one of the Sunshine State’s most beloved species also took a beating:

According to officials, Florida’s lettuce test project has fed 25 tons of lettuce to manatees

Manatee Eating Lettuce — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Mary-Kaitlyn Arnette The unprecedented human effort to save starving Florida manatees has so far provided the adorable marine mammals with over 25 tons of lettuce, officials said Wednesday. The round-tailed, snout-nosed animals that are popular with tourists and locals have suffered a major die-off. Their preferred seagrass food

Two bald eagle eggs hatch in Florida as the world watches online

Bald Eagle in Nest — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Image by: Kane513 Two baby bald eagles have hatched in Florida and warmed the hearts of those watching as it was all caught on camera. The parents, Harriet and her mate, M15, have spent over a month patiently taking turns protecting and incubating the eggs, taking breaks

FWC & USFWS respond—Florida’s manatee facing crisis will get a bit of extra help

Manatee Eating — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Image by: somdul The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced an expanded effort on Wednesday to respond to the ongoing manatee unusual mortality event along Florida’s Atlantic coast. Just in 2021, more than 1,000 manatees have died across the state of

Five things we can do to save the Sunshine State’s animal, the endangered Florida panther

Endangered Florida Panther – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by jo Crebbin So far this year, 24 endangered Florida panthers have died, an average of more than one death a week. Eighteen of these panthers have died on roadways. Currently, only an estimated 120 to 230 adult Florida Panthers roam the Earth, and they are all

International Manatee Day — Experts look for help as Florida species suffers

Manatee Close Up — Courtesy: Image by Andrea Izzotti from Shutterstock International Manatee Day is recognized around the world on Sept. 7.  In Florida, catching a glimpse of a West Indian manatee, a mating pod, or even a group of manatees is extremely common. The manatee has been going through a rough year, with the

Florida manatees dying in ‘unprecedented’ numbers, surpassing state’s annual record

Manatee Close-Up Portrait – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Andrea Izzotti So far, 2021 has been marked as the deadliest year for manatees in Florida’s recorded history. At least 841 manatees have died in Florida waters so far.  According to data collected from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), nearly 53 percent of