Florida manatees die mass because of

Environmental experts blame a cold spell earlier this year and "red tide" that causes the Gulf of Mexico manatees to die.

The number of dead individuals in Florida this year is alarming, when "" is blamed as the main cause of this happening.

According to statistics, the number of manatees that die from the beginning of the year so far in Florida is more than the whole of 2017 combined. Specifically, as of August 12, 540 sea pigs died of pollution, while only 438 were killed last year.

Mother of the manatee in Florida - (Photo: The Guardian).

"We are concerned that the number of individuals dying from the red tide will increase. We also suspect that many dead manatees are not counted," said Jeff Ruch, director of the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility organization ( PEER) said.

Statistics from the Florida Wildlife and Conservation Committee said "red tide" was the direct cause of 97 deaths in this year.

The phenomenon of blooming algae has poisoned the Gulf of Florida coast this summer, killing many marine life and making people dare not swim. US authorities had to clear hundreds of tons of dead fish from beaches in Florida.

Although manatees do not eat fish, their main food is seaweed and algae that are also severely affected by "red tide". In addition, manatee also absorb toxins through the skin, inhale toxins as they breathe and eat poisonous algae, said Marilyn Levy Odea, a natural conservationist.

Only about 6,000 manatees live off Florida. With 723 individuals dead in the past 2 years, the risk of extinction of this species in Florida is even higher.