The Animal Legal Defense Fund has raised the amount of their reward for information leading to the person who wrote "Trump" on the body of a manatee in Citrus County.
The animal rights org bumped their reward by $5,000. raising the total offer for information leading to an arrest to $8,000.
“The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is investigating the harassment of a manatee...reported to federal authorities over the weekend discovered w/ words "Trump" scraped in its back ...discovered in Blue Hole on the Homosassa River” (via @CitrusChronicle )
— 𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐞 (@exavierpope) January 11, 2021
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Insurrectioning wildlife? pic.twitter.com/PvzI3pZ5Xn
The manatee was discovered in Blue Hole on the Homosassa River in January. Manatees are a protected species under the Endangered Species Act. People found in violation of the act can spend up to a year in prison and be fined up to $50,000.
The ALDF isn't along in offering rewards for whoever harmed the manatee. Actor, wrestler and Tampa native Dave Bautista offered $20,000 to anyone who could help bring in the people behind it.
If there’s not already a reward for the arrest and conviction of the low life scummy MAGATs that did this I’ll throw in $20,000. And I promise there will be bonuses to that reward! https://t.co/CGa2EIhrEQ
— The Artist Formerly Known as Super Duper Dave (@DaveBautista) January 12, 2021
Manatee deaths have been on the rise for the last several years and 2021 began with a bewildering die-off among the state's population, with water pollution a likely culprit.
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