Dave Bautista has offered a colossal $20,000 reward to anyone with information that will lead to the capture of the "scummy MAGATs" who wrote "TRUMP" on a manatee's back.
Sharing a link to the original story, Bautista wrote on Twitter: "If there's not already a reward for the arrest and conviction of the low life scummy MAGATs that did this I'll throw in $20,000. And I promise there will be bonuses to that reward!"
Per Newsweek, the scrawling was not carved into the manatee's skin but written in the algae on its back.
Unsurprisingly, Bautista's offer went down well with social media users who were also keen to see whoever defaced the manatee brought to justice.
One suggested: "The reward is awesome but I think the guilty person deserves a punch in the face by you. That would be the bonus."
Another suggested that whoever was responsible deserves a taste of their own medicine, writing: "Im usually not one for the proverb 'eye for an eye tooth for a tooth' but I feel someone should brand the words 'Biden Won' into their chest [sic]."
The Hill reports that officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission opened an investigation into the incident after the manatee was seen by several witnesses in the Blue Hole headwaters of the Homosassa River in Citrus County.
Charles Underwood, the supervisor of operations support and communications for the Florida Ecological Services Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), provided the following statement in an email to Newsweek addressing the incident:
Watch heartbreaking footage of the vandalized animal below:"I am confirming that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating this matter. The manatee does not appear to be seriously injured as it seems that the word was written in algae on the animal's back."
"It's been my experience that this is very out of character for this community," Craig Cavanna, a senior federal wildlife officer leading the investigation, told the Citrus County Chronicle.
As well as Bautista's reward, $5,000 is also being offered by the animal advocacy group the Center for Biological Diversity for any information which could bring those responsible to justice.
"It's heartbreaking that this manatee was subjected to this vile, criminal act," Jaclyn Lopez, Florida director of the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement cited by The Hill.
"It's clear that whoever harmed this defenseless, gentle giant is capable of doing grave violence and needs to be apprehended immediately."
Manatees are protected by the Endangered Species Act and harassment of these animals can be punished with a $50,000 fine and up to one year in prison.