"Federal and state wildlife officials are investigating who wrote the name “Trump” on the back of a manatee that was spotted in a popular wintering spot for the threatened creatures.
The agencies don’t think the manatee was hurt — the letters appear to have been formed by scraping away algae that often coats the backs of the slow-moving mammals — but the prank appears to be a clear violation of laws against harassing them.
“The manatee does not appear to be seriously injured as it seems that the word was written in algae on the animal’s back,” Christina Meister from the USFWS’s public affairs office said in an emailed statement."
Adriana Brasileiro reports for the Miami Herald January 11, 2021.