# @centerforbiodiv on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/C5CHbPqixFv
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/13093743-centerforbiodiv-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/ec58921c7f.jpg
- **Posted:** 2024-03-27T21:39:03.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Center for Biological Diversity (@CenterForBioDiv) — https://gondola.cc/CenterForBioDiv

## Caption

SAVE THE CHUBBY MERMAIDS! There's no body-shaming here: we LOVE manatees and their big, round bodies swimming around every day, but especially today on #ManateeAppreciationDay. 

Sadly these animals are in dire straits: Manatee deaths have spiked since 2017 when the USFWS prematurely reduced protections and downlisted #manatees to threatened. 

So just last week, the Center and our allies launched a new lawsuit over the agency's failure to protect manatees. 

The Service had 12 months to decide whether uplisting the manatee under the federal #EndangeredSpeciesAct was warranted, but after 16 months the agency has yet to issue a decision.  Meanwhile, manatees have been experiencing an an extreme mortality event which led to nearly 2,000 deaths in 2021 and 2022 combined. 

Re-listing the West Indian manatee as an endangered species would provide greater protections for them that these animals desperately need. 

#savethechubbymermaids #floridamanatee #endangeredspecies

## Stats

- **Views:** 407
- **Likes:** 440
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 7

## Tags

savethechubbymermaids, manateeappreciationday, endangeredspeciesact, manatees, floridamanatee, endangeredspecies

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