By Letitia Stein TAMPA Fla. (Reuters) - The manatee could be downgraded from an endangered species to merely threatened as federal wildlife officials, under pressure from boating activists and libertarians, reconsider the status of Florida's popular "sea cow." The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said on Tuesday it would review the latest science and seek public input on the West Indian manatee, even as conservationists note the animals suffered a record number of deaths in Florida last year. The move follows a lawsuit filed in April on behalf of Save Crystal River Inc, an organization advocating for boaters' rights in west-central Florida waters that are known for frequent manatee sightings. "We want the government to acknowledge that it’s improved," said Christina Martin, an attorney for the Pacific Legal Foundation, which is representing the group. In recent years, manatee numbers in Florida and Puerto Rico have met the benchmark for reclassification set in a 1997 federal wildlife recovery plan, officials acknowledged in announcing their review.
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