How to Help Save Manatees

Along the wide rivers and hidden waterways of Florida, the humble manatee drifts about in search of marine grasses and algae. Manatees are massive, slow moving mammals who don't prey upon other animals and are not preyed upon.Because of their large size and slow pace, manatees are easily maimed or killed in run-ins with boat propellers. They were placed on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's endangered species list, but by 2006 the efforts to repopulate the manatee had been successful. They were reclassified as threatened, but not endangered.Still, manatee advocates want greater protection for the defenseless manatees. There are lots of ways manatee aficionados can help with the protection, education efforts, rescue missions and survival of our 3,100 remaining manatees.

Instructions

1. Donate online, adopt a manatee, or help the manatees in lots of other ways by joining the Save the Manatee Club. Founded by Jimmy Buffett and former Florida governor Bob Graham, the Save the Manatee Club distributes the Paddle Tales newsletter, sells manatee gifts and has cool downloads and activity ideas.

2. Adopt a manatee from the World Animal Fund. With a $35 donation, adopters get a three-ring binder with their manatee's vital stats, adoption certificate and other goodies.

3. Purchase a Save the Manatees specialty license plate. Florida residents can make their support for the manatee known by making a small donation and putting the manatee tag on their cars. For the 2007 fiscal year, the state of Florida earned $1.3 million for manatee charities through the sale of manatee license plates.

4. Purchase a manatee decal from any Florida tax collector offices. The 2008 decal was designed by a 16-year-old student from Boca Raton. For a $5 donation, the decal can be purchased by anyone registering a vehicle or boat in the state of Florida.

5. Use motorized boats with care. Sadly, researchers identify manatees by the pattern of boat propeller scars on their skin. Always keep boat speeds down in posted manatee zones.

6. Report sick, injured, dead, or tagged manatees to the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. Their phone number is 1-888-404-FWCC (1-888-404-3922). Cell phone users can dial *FWC or #FWC. They will want to know the exact location of the animal, if the manatee is alive or dead, how long you've been observing the manatee, the approximate size of the manatee, the location of the public boat ramp closest to the manatee, and your own contact information.

Resources

• The Threatened Manatee
• Save the Manatee Club
• World Animal Fund
• Florida specialty license plates
• Fish and Wildlife Research Institute