>> BY THE WAY, LEAGUE BYLAWS SAY THAT NFL OWNERS CAN VOTE OUT ANOTHER OWNER OR FORCE THE OWNER
TO SELL.
>>> FLORIDA’S MANATEES ARE IN
BIG TROUBLE.
LAST YEAR WE LOST MORE THAN 1100
OF OUR BELOVED SEA COWS.
MOSTLY FROM STARVATION BECAUSE
OUR POLLUTION IS KILLING THEIR
ONLY SOURCE OF FOOD.
>> 2020 IS ALREADY OFF TO A
TERRIBLE START.
97 RECORDED DEATH ANDS THAT’S
ONLY IN JANUARY.
THE GRIM OUTLOOK PROMPTING
WILDLIFE OFFICIALS TO LAUNCH AN
EMERGENCY FEEDING PROGRAM AND
ONLY LOCAL 10 WAS INVITED TO
WITNESS AND DOCUMENT IT RIGHT
THERE ON FRONT LINES.
LOUIE AGUIRRE HAS TONIGHT’S
DON’T TRASH OUR TREASURE.
>> 21 POUNDS.
>> Reporter: IT’S AN
UNSEASONABLY MILD FEBRUARY
MORNING NEAR CAPE CANAVERAL.
>> LARGE BOXES OF LETTUCE.
>> Reporter: BOXS AND BOXES OF
LETTUCES ARE BEING SORTED.
>> YOU CAN SEE THAT WE HAVE SOME
VARIETY TO PROVIDE.
>> Reporter: KEY INGREDIENTS IN
A CRITICAL MISSION TO SAVE
FLORIDA’S MANATEES.
>> IT IS HEART BREAKING THAT
THESE ANIMALS ARE STARVING
BECAUSE THERE’S JUST NO FOOD.
>> WE’RE ANTICIPATING HIGHER
THAN NORMAL DEATHS.
>> Reporter: TOM RINE ATTAR IS A
MANAGER DIRECTOR WITH THE
FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE
CONSERVATION COMMISSION, ONE OF
THE MINORITY GUARDS IN THIS
JOINT MISSION BETWEEN FWC AND
THE U.S. WILDLIFE SERVICE.
>> WE CAN TRY TO KEEP TRACK BUT
IT’S TOUGH WITH SO MANY
MANATEES.
>> Reporter: A POP-UP FEEDING
STATION AT THIS INTAKE AT FPL’S
CLEAN ENERGY PLANT ON THE INDIAN
RIVER LAGOON THAT EVERY WINTER
ATTRACTS SOME 2500 MANATEES
LOOKING FOR WARMER WATERS.
>> BECAUSE FDL HAS A WARM WATER
DISCHARGE, IT STAYS WARMER THAN
THE AMBIENT.
>> 2021 WAS THE DEADLIEST YEAR
ON RECORD FOR FLORIDA MANATEES.
MORE THAN 1100 GONE, MOST
STARVING TO DEATH BECAUSE OF THE
DRAMATIC LOSS OF SEA GRASS.
>> HOW MUCH SEA GRASS HAS BEEN
LOST IN THIS AREA?
>> IT’S A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT.
IT’S IN THE 80, 90%.
>> Reporter: THE INDIAN RIVER
LAGOON, THE EPICENTER OF THE
CRISIS, BUT FAST SEA GRASS BEDS
HAVE BEEN DISAPPEARING ACROSS
THE STATE FOR YEARS BECAUSE OF
ALL OF THE POLLUTION THAT FLOWS
INTO FLORIDA WATERWAYS, STACKING
THE DECK AGAINST THE MANATEES.
>> WE ARE STARTING TO SEE THOSE
EFFECTS.
>> Reporter: A DEATH TOLL SO
HIGH, AN UNUSUAL MORTALITY EVENT
WAS DECLARED LAST AIRNG IGNITING
THIS UNPRECEDENTED PILOT PROGRAM
THAT BEGAN IN MID-DECEMBER WITH
NO SUCCESS FOR WEEKS UNTIL
FINALLY ON JANUARY 20th, THE
HUNGRY MANATEES BEGAN TO FEED.
>> AND WE BELIEVE THAT THE SOUND
OF THEM CRUNCHING LETTUCE
ATTRACTED THE OTHERS WHO SAID,
HEY, THERE MUST BE SOMETHING
GOOD OVER THERE.
>> RIGHT NOW THERE ARE ABOUT 175
MANATEES THAT HAVE GATHERED
HERE.
THAT’S BECAUSE THE WATERS HAVE
WARMED UP.
A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO WHEN WE
HAD THE BITTER COLD SNAP, THERE
WERE ABOUT 800 MANATEES THAT HAD
CONGREGATED IN THIS AREA LOOKING
FOR THAT WARMER WATER, BUT MORE
IMPORTANTLY GETTING FED.
>> WE KNOW WE CAN’T SAVE THEM
ALL BUT WE’RE DOING THE BEST
THAT WE CAN.
>> Reporter: IT IS AN URGENT
UNDERTAKING.
SO FAR JUST IN JANUARY FWC
REPORTS 97 MANATEES HAVE DIED
WHILE SOME 14 OTHERS IN DISTRESS
HAD TO BE RESCUED.
>> IT’S A VERY LABOR-EXTENSIVE
PROCESS TO RESCUE ANIMALS.
COULD TAKE A DOZEN PEOPLE OR
MORE.
>> Reporter: IT’S ALSO NOT
CHEAP.
MANATEES CAN SPEND UP TO EIGHT
MONTHS REHAB AT AN AVERAGE COST
OF $40,000.
ZOO TAMPA, ONE OF THREE STATE
PARTNERS, IS ALREADY AT
CAPACITY.
>> THE MANATEES THAT HAVE BEEN
RESCUED OVER THE PAST YEAR, THE
MAJORITY ARE MOSTLY EMACIATED.
>> Reporter: THEY HAD TO BUILD
THREE EXTRA POOLS JUST TO BE
ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE ANY NEW
INTAKES.
>> WE’RE VERY GOOD AT GETTING
THE ANIMALS IN RIGHT AWAY AND
DOING THE IMMEDIATE TRIAGE.
>>> TO MAKE ROOM FOR EVEN MORE
RESCUED MANATEES, THEY RECENTLY
TRANSFERRED FOUR FEMALES TO THE
COLUMBUS ZOO IN OHIO UNTIL
THEY’RE STRONG ENOUGH TO BE
RELEASED BACK HERE IN FLORIDA.
>> ONE OF THE THINGS WE’RE
TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH WITH THIS
CERTIFICATE TO HOPEFULLY REDUCE
THE NUMBER OF ANIMALS THAT COME
INTO REHAB.
>> FWC CHAIRMAN RODNEY IS
HOPEFUL ONCE EVEN DANGERED,
FLORIDA’S MANATEES HAVE BOUNCED
BACK BEFORE.
>> THE MANATEE IS A SUCCESS
STORY IN FLORIDA.
THE HERD IS AS BIG AS IT’S EVER
BEEN AND THROUGH ALL OF THE
EFFORTS THAT FLORIDA HAS DONE
THROUGHOUT THE MANATEE
PROTECTION ZONES AND I
CONGRATULATE THE AGENCY FOR JUST
PULLING OUT ALL THE STOPS.
>> Reporter: BUT UNTIL FLORIDA
CLEANS UP ITS WATERS AND THE SEA
GRASSES COME BACK, THIS MISSION
IS FAR FROM OVER.
>> AND THAT’S SOMETHING THAT WE
AS FLORIDIANS NEED TO GET A
HANDLE ON AND WORK WITH OUR
AGENCIES TO IMPROVE THE WATER
QUALITY, YOU KNOW, ACROSS
FLORIDA.
NOT JUST HERE IN THE INDIAN
RIVER LAGOONS.
>> IT’S NOT SEA GRASS, BUT IT’S
FOOD.
>> IT’S FOOD.
AND CLOSER TO HOME, THERE IS
OUTRAGE BY ENVIRONMENTALISTS
AFTER THE BOARD OF MIAMI-DADE
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS APPROVED
SEA TRIALS DURING NEXT WEEK’S
MIAMI INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW IN
A PORTION OF BISCAYNE BAY
DESIGNATED A MANATEE PROTECTED
HABITAT.
WE’LL TAKE A DEEP DIVE INTO THAT
NEXT WEEK.
IN THE MEANTIME FWC IS STRESSING
DO NOT FEED THE MANATEES
YOURSELVES.
IT WILL DISRUPT THEIR BEHAVIOR
AND LEAVE THEM MORE VULNERABLE
TO BOAT STRIKES IF THEY BEGIN TO
ASSOCIATE HUMANS WITH FOOD.
IF YOU WANT TO FEED MANATEES,
FEED THEM WITH YOUR DOLLARS.
ALL THAT HAVE LETTUCE IS
EXPENSIVE AND FWC NEEDS YOUR