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Manatee killed, mutilated; leads sought from public
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published November 13, 2006
HOMESTEAD - Wildlife officials called the capture and mutilation of a manatee one of the worst cases of abuse inflicted on the endangered sea mammal in recent memory, and have asked the public's help to find the people responsible. A boater reported the manatee corpse - floating with its throat slit and its flippers cut off - in the waters of Biscayne National Park off Homestead. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission scheduled a necropsy today to determine what killed the gentle marine mammal. Wildlife officers think it was killed late Thursday or early Friday. "It's pretty disgraceful that a manatee was treated that way," said National Park Service officer Brian Fields said. "They're protected and to see that happening, it's really disturbing. This is the first time I've seen this with manatees." Anyone with information is urged to contact the National Park Service. State officials have proposed downgrading the manatee's status from endangered to threatened. An annual census found 3,116 manatees in Florida waters in February.
[Last modified November 13, 2006, 00:11:20]
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by lily
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12/06/06 04:11 AM
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i hope they have caught this monster- he should have it done to him. Anyway of finding out if the person responsible has been put to justice?
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by Rebecca
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11/13/06 12:00 PM
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When I heard of this story, I sobbed for hours. How could anyone be so cruel? Such an individual does not deserve to walk this Earth.
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