According to a press release from the Center for Biological Diversity, the manatee was discovered Sunday in Florida’s Homosassa River with the president’s name in capital letters on his back.
It is not clear what was used to mark the animal.
According to a press release, the center announced a $ 5,000 reward for information that would lead to a conviction of the person responsible.
“Manatees are not billboards, and people should not mess with these sensitive and endangered animals for any reason,” said Jaclyn Lopez, Florida director at the Center for Biological Diversity.
“While this political graffiti has been applied to this manatee, it is a crime to interfere with these creatures, who are protected by multiple federal laws.”
Officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are investigating. Anyone with information can call the commission hotline at (888) 404-3922.
Florida manatees are slow-moving herbivores, also known as ‘manatees’. The manatee is a subspecies of the West Indian manatee, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The animals are protected by the Endangered Species Act; Harassing a manatee is a federal crime.