Idiotic boater caught on video in Florida using pole to harass manatee

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In Pinellas County, Florida, a video posted to a social media page quickly went viral and has drawn the ire of residents across the state. The drone video, shared on the Facebook page of See Through Canoe on Sunday, showed a boat with at least five people aboard pass through an area of swimming manatees.

A man wearing a red jacket used a pole to poke at the animal apparently scaring the manatee and causing panic in the water. The other manatees were frightened by the man’s actions and began to swim away. After the sea cows left the area in pure fright, the man could be seen giving a high-five to another person on the boat.

“After the boater startled the manatees,  the large aggregation of manatees left the area they were resting in just moments before. Most of them eventually came back,” the Facebook post stated.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have been notified and are investigating the disturbing incident. In Florida, manatees are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act and the Manatee Sanctuary Act. Anyone convicted of violating state laws relating to feeding, harassing, harming, pursuing, hunting, shooting, wounding et al can be fined $500 or 60 days in jail. Conviction of a federal protection law is punishable with fines up to $100,000 and/or one year in prison.

Check out the drone video:

https://www.facebook.com/SeeThroughCanoeCompany/videos/126162925484931/

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2 COMMENTS

  1. What kind of POS idiot does this??? SMH….. I hope they are identified and charged. There is no reason for this type of behavior….. There are lots of things to do on a boat besides harassing endangered sea mammals!!!

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