Wildlife officials have launched an investigation in Florida this week after discovering the harrowing harassment and abuse of a manatee with the word "Trump" etched into its back.
Here's the full story...
Disclaimer: This article contains images that some readers may find upsetting.
Animal abuse has been way too common of an occurrence for decades now...
And, though awareness of the issue is greater than ever, innocent animals continue to suffer.
Both domestic and wild animals find themselves in danger at the hands of us humans...
And it is an utterly devastating reality that so many animals will live a life filled with nothing but fear and pain.
Animal activists have worked tirelessly to try and put a stop to animal abuse...
Dismissing the suffering of other species because it benefits us is called speciesism. Please leave animals off your plate so that no more will be born into misery. https://t.co/ABEBnHnmDY
— PETA (@peta) January 8, 2021
And now, more than ever before, people are trying to combat those who inflict this unnecessary pain.
But sadly, it still happens...
And the most recent instance of animal abuse has shocked people all around the world.
On Sunday, a manatee was discovered in Florida's Blue Hole Spring on the Homosassa River in Citrus County...
And people just couldn't believe their eyes when they saw what had been done to the poor marine mammal by some ruthless thugs.
A video shared on Twitter shows the manatee sadly floating in the water with what appears to be President Donald Trump's surname etched into its back...
Which strongly suggests a Trump supporter is responsible for this horrific act of cruelty.
Other than the severe scraping on its back, the manatee appeared otherwise uninjured, The Hill reported...
But there's absolutely no denying that this abuse must have been so painful and frightening for the poor, defenseless animal.
An investigation is currently underway...
And both the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are looking into more information on the person or persons responsible.
Whoever's responsible is facing severe punishments.
Craig Cavanna, senior federal wildlife officer and current investigating officer, told The Chronicle Online that the harassment of a manatee, protected by the Endangered Species Act, is a Class A federal criminal offense punishable by a $50,000 fine and/or one year in federal prison.
Of course, the community has been left appalled over the cruelty as it's "very out of character" for this particular area.
"It's been my experience that this is very out of character for this community," Cavanna told the outlet of the incident, "Wildlife conservation is a core value in Citrus County. That's why it's called the Nature Coast."
We sincerely hope that whoever is responsible is caught very soon.
“The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is investigating the harassment of a manatee...reported to federal authorities over the weekend discovered w/ words "Trump" scraped in its back ...discovered in Blue Hole on the Homosassa River” (via @CitrusChronicle )
— 𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐞 (@exavierpope) January 11, 2021
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Insurrectioning wildlife? pic.twitter.com/PvzI3pZ5Xn
Anyone with information regarding the harassment of the manatee is urged to contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation hotline at 888-404-3922.