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| All Dead. |
As with most large mammals, manatees have a low reproductive rate. Manatees are not sexually mature until they are about five years old. On average, one calf is born every two to five years, and twins are rare. Intervals between births range from two to five years. A two-year interval may occur when a female, or cow, loses a calf soon after birth. The gestation period for female manatees is about a year.
This is why I think that Manatees should not have been de-listed as endangered last week. They breed too slowly and die too quickly at our hands. It is believed their lifespan is about 60 years if they aren't killed first.
2 comments:
The decision was based on flawed data. I hope the Save the Manatee club sues and stops this travesty.
The Service's announcement came at an interesting time in Florida. In December, Florida's human population surpassed 20 million, a seagrass die-off affecting 40,000 acres in Florida Bay made the news, the National Marine Manufacturers Association reported that boat sales could increase 8% in 2016, reaching pre-recession levels, and the Naples Daily News reported on conflicts between growth and the environment, stating, "Too often in 2015, the balance tipped against the environment and its inhabitants." Red tide blooms on Florida's west coast began in the fall and claimed manatee lives in the final weeks of 2015 and continue in 2016. While Service officials were celebrating on January 7th and reporting that the risks and threats to manatees are under control, a young manatee in Citrus County, Florida was discovered with a severe watercraft injury that shattered bones of her vertebral column and penetrated to her spinal cord. Another manatee, in Lake Okeechobee, was found with symptoms of a punctured lung from a vessel strike. Ironically, Service officials used hospital analogies during their press conference, saying the move from endangered to threatened was like a transition out of intensive care. When questioned whether the model used for the U.S. manatee population included record mortality events from 2010 and 2013, the Service indicated that analysis was incomplete but they were moving forward based on available information. Hospital patients don't get moved out of the ICU before the test results are in. - See more at: http://www.savethemanatee.org/news_oped_downlisting_1-16.html#.dpuf
I hate that they did this. some days I feel like is no hope- that the agenda is too big and powerful. I do have a funny story. A few years ago when they reopened the locks someone came on line to say that there manatees in the Indian River Lagoon acting weird. They were have Manatee sex. We were very excited.
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