Conservation group fighting to save manatees from starvation

WESTPALMBEACH,Fla.(WWSB)–AFloridanon-profitcalled“BearWarriorsUnited,”saidoneofitsmaingoalsistostopmanateesintheSunshinestatefromstarvation. TheorganizationfocusesonprotectingandeducatingthepubliconsuchmattersasFlorida’sblackbears,manatees,andotherformsofwildlifehabitatandcorridors.Earlierthismonth,aFloridajudgeruledinfavorofBearWarriorsUnitedandagainstthestatefindingFlorida’sDepartmentofEnvironmentalProtectionwas“Inviolationoftheendangeredspeciesact.” This,afteramulti-monthinvestigationrevealedFlorida’sIndianRiverLagoon,stretchingfromPalmBeachCountytoDaytonaBeachwheremanateescomeforthewarmwaters,andtofeed,hadbeenpollutedbytoxinsreleasedfromnearbyseptictanks,andwatertreatmentfacilities.Thatresultedintheseagrasstheyneedtosurvivebeingdestroyed. Biologistswho’vestudiedthebodyofwater,estimatedbetweenDecember2020,andApril2022,morethan1,200manateesdiedfromstarvation.Theyaddedwiththeirseagrassgone,themanateesoft