Manatees No Longer Considered “Endangered”

Good news for manatees: The Department of Fish and Wildlife found a group of 6,600 manatees off of Florida’s coast during an annual survey, which means that the creatures are now off the “endangered” species list. With the change, manatees are now listed as “vulnerable.” Some conservation groups are worried that this reclassification will put the manatees in danger because they fear that the public won’t take issues of habitat loss and boat deaths as seriously. However, the Dept. says that manatees will still fall under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and be entitled to Endangered Species Act protections.