Manatees

It’s Manatee Appreciation day and NBC6’s Xochitl Hernandez spoke to the Director of Florida’s Conservation Program for tips on how to protect the gentle giants of the sea.

Dozens of chilly manatees are seen huddling together in the warm waters near a power plant as temperatures drop across South Florida.

Federal wildlife officials will consider whether manatees should be classified as an endangered species, pointing to issues such as a loss of seagrass that serves as a key food source for the animals.

Seagrass, a plant that grows underwater and is abundant throughout Florida, is vital to human life. It’s also dying off rapidly due to environmental damage and climate change, researchers say.

A manatee died at a Florida aquarium in late April, and following a full pathology and necropsy report, there are new developments as to the possible cause of the mammal’s sudden death.

Over 300 manatees died during the first half of 2023, the FWC reported.

A South Florida woman is voicing concerns after she says fuel spills in a popular waterway are impacting a threatened species.

Cellphone video shows a manatee swimming in what appears to be a gas leak in Miami’s Little River.