More than 1,000 Florida manatees died this year. Many starved. So officials are thinking about breaking their regular wildlife rules. They want to start a plan to feed the beloved—but wild—marine mammals.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state officials want to test the plan. Staff members would feed manatees near a power plant in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Manatees go there in the winter because of the warm water coming from the plant. The food would be lettuce, cabbage, and other greens. They might deliver the food on a conveyer belt, Patrick Rose says. He leads the Save The Manatee Club.

Normally, giving food to wildlife is off limits. Wild animals can get sick or die if they eat the wrong foods. Some may lose their fear of humans. This could lead to harm to both animals and people. But helping the manatees is an emergency.

People still can’t just toss lettuce into a Florida bay. “Under no circumstances do we want people feeding manatees. It’s illegal, and remains so,” Mr. Rose says.

Figuring out the right time to step in is part of managing God’s creation. Making changes too early or too late can cause problems. Feeding manatees if they don’t really need it could hurt them. Waiting too long could let them all die out.

Manatees have struggled for a long time. Boats hit hundreds of the slow-moving animals every year.

And pollution kills the plants manatees eat. Dirty water from farms, cities, and sewage makes more blue-green algae grow. Algae blooms block the light that seagrass needs to grow. Without seagrass, manatees starve.

Those aren’t just problems for manatees. Algae blooms are bad for other water creatures and for people who drink or live near the water. Boat captains and sightseeing tour guides take people to see manatees. If the manatees are all gone, they can’t earn their livings.