You should not knock on the door of the Pinellas Sheriff’s Office if you observe manatees rolling through the waves.
On June 15, the Florida sheriff’s office posted an odd warning on Instagram regarding the animals. There is a video in the article that shows a group of manatees huddled together on a Florida beach. In the video, there are at least ten manatees swimming close to one another.
Manatee gatherings of this strange appearance are typical during the summer and are not alarming. The Pinellas Sheriff’s Office said the cause of the sea mammals’ gathering is NSFW.
“If you see this… no, you didn’t,” the sheriff’s office captioned the manatee video for. “Don’t call us. They are more than fine. It’s mating season.”
The manatee clip was captioned with additional context from the Pinellas Sheriff’s Office.
“We get calls all the time from citizens when they see this, believing the manatees are in distress. We can assure you they are more than fine,” the agency stated. “Manatees actually mate in herds like these, and often they are near the shore. They mate all throughout the year, but generally, mating herds like these are seen in the summer months.”
On June 17, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute posted a video showing manatees congregating close to the shore along with additional details regarding mating herds.
“Boaters and beachgoers, if you spot a group of manatees in the shallow, nearshore waters, give them plenty of space! These are likely mating herds, where one female is pursued by a group of males. While we normally think of manatees as gentle giants, they are still very large, strong animals that can be quite active while mating. These herds may stay together for hours or even days at a time, but they are typically not stranded and therefore do not need assistance from humans,” the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute stated.
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The Pinellas Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute both cautioned people from touching a herd of mating manatees.
Authorities and beachgoers don’t need to physically intervene with the animals because they don’t require help in these circumstances.
There could be legal repercussions for anyone who approaches a manatee mating herd.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 “make it illegal to harass, hunt, capture or kill any marine mammal.” These laws provide protection for manatees.
According to the FWC, it is “unlawful for any person, at any time, intentionally or negligently, to annoy, molest, harass, or disturb any manatee,” which is another law that protects manatees.
Violations of state law carry “a possible maximum fine of $500 and/or imprisonment for up to 60 days,” whereas federal law has penalties of “up to $50,000 and/or one year in prison.”
