Starving Manatees Get Salad and a Warm Bath

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Manatees, a favorite of divers and snorkelers in eastern Florida, are starving because the seagrass on which they feed is being wiped out by algae blooms triggered by pollution from agricultural and urban sources.

While last year the manatee population was estimated as high as 7500, 1101 manatees died, nearly twice as many in 2020. Just last month, another 90 died.

Injured manatees captured for rehabilitation are fed romaine lettuce, so Florida Fish and Wildlife has been providing romaine to the starving manatees in the Indian River Lagoon. And they are taking to it....

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