Manatee Mania

Here on the Nature Coast, we take our manatees pretty seriously….

We protect them
We protect them

 

Manatee art
We all have lots of manatee art
Park entrance
We use them for directions
Manatee Board
We bring them to weddings

 

We dress them up for holidays
We dress them up for holidays
mailboxmanatee
We ask them to protect our mail
Manatee car
We let them drive cars
swim
We swim with them
We have festivals
We have festivals
Manatee Festival
And we actually attend even though we know 10,000 people will be there
Manatee Mania
We walk with them

Manatee mother and child

So why can’t we save them?

According to the most recent report that I could find for 2013, as of Dec. 13, 2013,  the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute shows we lost 803 manatees.  16 percent of the state’s population.  The most since the state started keeping records in the 70’s.

But according to the same source, the good news was that only 71 were killed by boats.  Well below the record of 95 in 2012.

So sad.

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