From BBC
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US wildlife authorities have launched an investigation after a manatee was discovered with the word ‘Trump’ scraped on its back.
The marine mammal was spotted on Sunday in Florida’s Homosassa River, with the US president’s surname on its body.
Officials told AP news agency that the animal does not appear to be seriously injured, and the word was scraped onto algae growing on its skin.
But a video of the West Indian manatee has led to public outcry.
Manatees, nicknamed “sea cows,” are protected under US law, and anyone found guilty of harassing them faces up to a year in prison and a $50,000 (£37,000) fine.
Images of the animal was first shared by the Citrus County Chronical, a local newspaper, and have been widely shared on social media.
Here is the video of the poor manatee that had “TRUMP” carved into its body.
Minding it’s own business and some monster(s) came along and did this.
If you have information on the person(s) who committed this federal crime please call 888-404-3922 https://t.co/maOImIxQS0 pic.twitter.com/Yx2qaGhFXe
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) January 11, 2021 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter
Investigations into the incident are being led by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
The Centre for Biological Diversity, a conservation charity, is also offering a $5,000 for information leading to the conviction of those responsible.
“It’s heartbreaking that this manatee was subjected to this vile, criminal act,” said Jaclyn Lopez, the centre’s director, in a statement to local media.
