Hi John,

In just the first 19 days of January, 30 Florida manatees were reported dead.

Scientists had hoped the "unusual mortality event" ravaging manatees was waning, but it's clear these gentle, slow-moving animals are still in crisis.

That's why the Center is fighting to get their full Endangered Species Act protection restored.

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You can help with a donation today to the Saving Life on Earth Fund.

The mass die-off began in 2021, when more than 1,000 manatees perished, making it the deadliest year on record.

The manatees were starving to death because they didn't have enough seagrass to eat. There was so much pollution in the water, the seagrass was disappearing.

They're also threatened by sharp and blunt-force trauma from boat strikes. Of the more than 500 manatees who died last year, 86 deaths were caused by vessel collisions. Almost all Florida manatees — 96% — have watercraft-related scars.

We first petitioned for manatees in 2009. When the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finally responded, it was to take away their protection.

The results have been disastrous.

More than 20% of Florida's manatees have died in the past few years.

Even the Service agrees that the damage to their habitat is harming their population, and that greater protection may be warranted.

But, just as we've seen with North Atlantic right whales, agreeing that there's a problem isn’t the same as fixing it.

Extinction is a choice. We're imploring the agencies responsible for protecting wildlife to choose to save species, not let them disappear.

We'll keep fighting to save the species we love.

Manatees have no time to lose. They must get the protection they need to survive.

Please help us save them with a gift today to the Saving Life on Earth Fund.

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For the wild,

Kierán Suckling
Executive Director
Center for Biological Diversity

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