Sources of Danger
Various human activities threaten manatee populations, and activists working to save the species aggressively protest these actions. Fishing nets and lines can cause injuries to manatees that often lead to serious infections. Many manatee deaths are the result of collisions with boats when the mammals are surfacing for air. They are not fast enough to elude the boat propellers, and thus suffer from fatal gashes. Additionally, the recent increase in coastal development has severely affected manatee habitats. The habitats themselves have been destroyed as residential and commercial development has occurred along seagrass beds, mangroves, and salt marshes where manatees live. Pollution in these areas may also have an effect on manatee mortality, as chemicals introduced into their habitats lead to impaired immune systems. The fact that manatees tend to gather in the warm water outflows of power plants furthers the likelihood of the spread of disease. Humans are the only life that endangers manatees.
Read more about this topic: Manatee Conservation Status
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