#Repost @oneprotest @download.ins --- Florida has now reached nearly 1,000 manatee deaths this year alone as of August 13th. That number is almost twice the average number of yearly deaths. With around 40% of the necropsied manatees being emaciated and malnourished, State officials say an ecosystem collapse is essentially to blame. The seagrass is dying, the waters are so heavily polluted, and there seems to be nowhere fruitful for our beautiful manatees to go. One of Florida's most iconic species is starving to death at an unprecedented rate. The damage done will not be easy to reverse and could take decades of strenuous conservation efforts, and restoring one of their most precious ecosystems, The Indian River Lagoon, could cost a staggering amount of money. But is it all for nothing unless underlying issues are addressed? It starts with us working together and demanding our government make profound changes when it comes to our waters in Florida. Here is what we can do- 💧Visit FL5.org 💧Sign and share the petition by @jim_abernethy https://www.change.org/p/florida-stop-the-state-sanctioned-poisoning-of-our-lakes-and-rivers Linked in bio This photo was sent to us by @jim_abernethy and it is of a manatee taking advantage of high tide, and eating someone's grass from their lawn. This is devastating. Please take action. . . . #Manatees #Manatee #Florida #FloridaLife #SoFlo #SouthFlorida #FloridaSprings #IndianRiverLagoon #KeepFloridaWild #instagood #photooftheday #photography #animals #AnimalsOfInstagram #grass #FloridaWildlife #SunshineState #AnimalAdvocacy #OneProtest (at Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTYaamCt-BU/?utm_medium=tumblr