News

Lettuce prices may be soaring along with inflation, but there’s one group that needs the green goods more than ever: manatees.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services is preparing massive deliveries of leafy green lettuce in ongoing emergency feeding of manatees. The massive marine mammals that inhabit Florida’s waterways face starvation during the cold winter months in part from a die-off of aquatic plants caused by pollution.

Last year, wildlife officials provided more than 200,000 pounds of lettuce to vulnerable manatees that gather in warm waters near electric plants. This year, that amount is expected to increase and temperatures area already reaching season lows.

There are ongoing efforts to restore aquatic grass fields; but those results aren’t expected to make a difference for years to come. Read more, here.