(...) Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation (FWC) officials will wait for the next cold snap for another shot at the annual statewide aerial manatee count. The Department of Homeland Security's late-December terrorism alert forced the cancellation of flights over state power plants, where the animals gather during cold weather. (...) "Roughly half the animals we count are around power plants," said Henry Cabbage, spokesman for the FWC. The plants' warmwater discharges attract the animals during the winter months, concentrating them for easy counting.
Poor creatures. Getting torn up by boat propellers, and celebrating Christmas huddled around a cozy... power plant?!
