Wildlife officials want to relist manatees as 'threatened'
Wildlife officials want to relist manatees as 'threatened'
Jennifer Kay, Associated Press
Updated 4:08 pm, Thursday, January 7, 2016
MIAMI (AP) — The population of Florida's iconic manatees has recovered enough that the species no longer meets the definition of "endangered" under the Endangered Species Act, federal wildlife officials said Thursday.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have proposed relisting the slow-moving, speed bump-shaped marine mammals as a "threatened" species, which would not change any current protections for manatees.
"Based on the best available scientific information, we believe the manatee is no longer in danger of extinction," Michael Oetker, deputy regional director for the wildlife service, said at a news conference at the Miami Seaquarium, which has rescued, rehabilitated and released manatees back into the wild for decades.
A Florida business group and the conservative Pacific Legal Foundation petitioned the government in 2012 to reclassify the manatee, citing a 2007 federal review that recommended listing the species as threatened because the population is recovering.
More:
http://www.chron.com/news/science/article/US-wildlife-officials-decide-on-manatee-status-6742296.php