Former WWE star Dave Bautista is offering a $20,000 bounty for the capture of the individual who carved the word “Trump” into the algae on the back of a Florida manatee.
Dave Bautista said he would throw in a $20,000 reward for the “arrest and conviction of the low life scummy MAGATs” that committed the crime, adding to the rewards already being offered by conservation groups in Florida for information about this incident.
If there’s not already a reward for the arrest and conviction of the low life scummy MAGATs that did this I’ll throw in $20,000. And I promise there will be bonuses to that reward! https://t.co/CGa2EIhrEQ
— Vice President Drax (@DaveBautista) January 12, 2021
A manatee from the Homosassa River in the northern region of Florida was discovered with the word “Trump” carved into the algae of its back on Sunday, reported the local outlet the Citrus County Chronicle.
The Center for Biological Diversity, a non-profit wildlife advocacy organization based in Arizona, announced on Monday in a press release that they would give a $5,000 reward to anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of the individuals involved in the crime. (RELATED: ‘Either Fly Home Or Face The Consequences’: Australian PM Reacts After Racing Pigeon Flies From America To Australia)
“Manatees aren’t billboards, and people shouldn’t be messing with these sensitive and imperiled animals for any reason,” Jaclyn Lopez, the Florida director of this organization, said in the press release. “However this political graffiti was put on this manatee, it’s a crime to interfere with these creatures, which are protected under multiple federal laws.”
Officials with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are investigating this incident.
The manatee is an animal that is protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978, which states that “it is unlawful for any person, at any time, intentionally or negligently, to annoy, molest, harass, or disturb any manatee,” according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The individuals who defaced the manatee and violated these state laws face a maximum fine of $500 and/or imprisonment for up to 60 days, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
At the federal level, conviction is punishable by a fine of up to $50,000 and/or a year in prison.