Manatees, also known as sea cows, are now listed as a threatened species instead of an endangered one. Despite the fact that this should be good news, conservationists believe that it is too early to downlist these animals. The status change for this species has been made on March 30.
- Manatees Are Also Known As Sea Cows
- These Marine Animals Are Herbivorous
- The Classification Of Sea Cows Has Changed On March 30
- Conservationists Don’t Agree With This Decision
Why Was the Status Change Necessary?
Up until a few days ago, manatees were classified as endangered animals. This means that they were protected in order for their population to recover. Now, the manatees are recovering and their population is increasing. Despite this fact, many believe that this animal is not ready to be classified as threatened.
The reclassification of sea cows has been made due to the increasing number of endangered species. Because of the fact that there are more and more animals on the verge of extinction, the species that are recovering need to be downlisted.
Despite the fact that the manatee population from the Florida coastline has nicely recovered, other sea cow groups still need more time to fully rekindle its numbers.
Endangered vs. Threatened
Endangered species benefit from protection. The efforts of the US government, the Caribbean states, and environmentalists have helped the manatees increase their population numbers. In order to help these animals, speed boats have been prohibited in all waters populated by sea cows. This way, manatees were protected from accidents, their friendly nature pushing them towards inevitable encounters with deadly propellers.
Despite the fact that the number of manatees has increased over the last year, conservationists believe that this species should still be considered endangered. They believe that reclassifying the manatees as a threatened species could affect the animals in the long run, the freshly enlarged population being once again exposed to the same factors that affected it in the first place.
The decision of downlisting this animal has been condemned by many environmental organizations. They stated that people might believe that the manatees are better than they really are now. Despite this fact, many other species need protection and that is why the sea cows needed to be reclassified.
What is your opinion about the reclassification of the sea cows? Do you think that it is a good decision to downlist the manatees to a threatened species? Shouldn’t all endangered benefit from protection?
Image source: Wikipedia
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