Dec. cold blamed for more manatee deaths
Wednesday, 05 Jan 2011, 11:45 AM EST
TAMPA - The recent cold weather across the state coupled with the freezing temperatures of a year ago left 279 manatees dead, and the 767 total manatee deaths is more than double the yearly average in the last five years, Florida Fish and Wildlife reports.
The two cold snaps in December 2010 caused 35 manatee deaths, officials say. Prior to December 5, 244 manatee deaths had been attributed to the cold.
According to FWC, the cause of an additional 282 manatee deaths are still being classified as "undetermined" or "unrecovered" but many of them can likely be linked to the cold temperatures as well.
"The unusually high number of manatee deaths in 2010, including those caused by the two periods of cold weather, are of concern to the FWC," Fish & Wildlife Research Institute Director Gil McRae said in a statement. "Over the next few years, the FWC will be relying heavily on monitoring programs to better understand any long-term implications for the manatee population. In the meantime, we will continue to work with our partners to enhance the availability of natural warm-water sites and to rescue manatees in distress."
All of the statistics regarding the 2010 manatee mortality numbers as well as conservation and research information is available at MyFWC.com/Manatee
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