"T", "R", "U" ... In a short video broadcast by several American media, the back of a manatee reveals the name of outgoing American President Donald Trump, streaked on the skin.
According to the local Citrus County Chronicle newspaper, the mammal was filmed over the weekend.
He was reportedly seen near the Blue Hole spring in the Homosassa River, a stream in Citrus County, Florida.
A call for witnesses has been launched to find the perpetrators of this act of abuse.
The local press is the first to take up the subject, the Citrus County Chronicle exposed the attack by publishing a photo of the large aquatic mammal, the name of the US president visible on its back.
The newspaper also specifies that the US Bureau of Wildlife and Aquatic Life is currently investigating this matter.
An endangered species
"The authorities have launched an appeal for all information on people who may have attacked the manatee," said the British newspaper The Guardian.
The act of mistreatment finds widespread resonance throughout the American press, a few days before the end of the Trump administration, in conditions unprecedented in the history of the American presidency.
Here is the video of the poor manatee that had "TRUMP" carved into its body.
Minding it's own business and some monster (s) came along and did this.
If you have information on the person (s) who committed this federal crime please call 888-404-3922 https://t.co/maOImIxQS0 pic.twitter.com/Yx2qaGhFXe
- Yashar Ali đ (@yashar) January 11, 2021
Docile despite their physical appearance, manatees, nicknamed "sea cows" weigh on average 500 kilos and can measure up to three meters.
âThese are popular attractions in Florida,â says the Guardian, but the survival of this species is threatened by too many collisions with boats, and the degradation of their living areas due to climate change.