Manatee that washed up near Charleston killed by boats

SULLIVANS ISLAND, S.C. – Wildlife officials say that a dead manatee that washed up on a beach near Charleston was killed by boat propellers.

Al Segars of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources tells local news outlets that the manatee, a male and the second dead manatee found in the area this week, had seven boat propeller injuries that caused its death.

After it was killed, the carcass had been eaten, likely by sharks.

On Tuesday, the carcass of another young male manatee was found near the mouth of Shem Creek. But tests failed to show why that manatee died.

Endangered manatees swim in shallow tidal waters feeding on algae and grasses where they run the risk of boat collisions. Officials estimate about 50 migrate to South Carolina coastal waters each summer.