DJ Geribo

The Manatee - what a sad story and life they live. Forever living in a dangerous situation, boaters are responsible for so many of their deaths. Surface swimmers, they are considered Endangered and are on the brink of losing that status despite their declining numbers. Why? My guess is because not enough people care. People, the ones who make all the decisions about what animal should live or die. Again, why? Because Manatees are not a food source for humans so little is done to protect them. Because we can't see them and like a lot of what is in our oceans, what we can't see becomes irrelevant in our lives. 

So what is killing the Manatees? Starvation, water pollution, habitat destruction and disturbance, craft collisions, and unknown meaning precise cause of death is hard to pinpoint (half of all deaths fall into this category). Starvation and water pollution go together because as the waters grow more polluted, the food source for Manatees of seagrasses continue to die off. And of course, habitat destruction and disturbance and craft collisions are completely the fault of humans abuse and reckless behavior. Even the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who licenses a swimming program for tourists to swim with the Manatees does not do enough to protect the Manatees from people standing on the mammals or poking, chasing, or kicking them. 

Although they are an Endangered Species and are supposedly protected by law, the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service treats them more like an animal that belongs in a petting zoo!