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he agency plans to say that the manatee "no longer meets the definition of an endangered species," according to the memo, which was sent to the White House.

Threatened species are still protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. Endangered means an animal is at a foreseeable risk of extinction. Threatened means a species could become endangered if protections are not maintained.

Chuck Underwood, a spokesman with the agency's Jacksonville office, told the Post the memo was drafted after a review of the manatee's progress, and government officials have not made a final decision on the issue yet.

"Until it gets final signatures on it, it could change," Underwood said. "It is an internal document. ... Is it the way we're going at the time? Yes. Is it also possible it could change? Yes."

An Associated Press call seeking more comment from the agency's Jacksonville office was not immediately returned.