“Save The Manatee” Club Co-Founded By Jimmy Buffett

I wasn't even sure what a Manatee was....although, I heard about Barbara Manatee in the Veggie Tales Song.  Then, I received information about a club in Florida to save the Manatees.  They are an endangered species, and while they aren't the most gorgeous animal, they do have the cutest tuft of whiskers....thank goodness, there is a group of people willing to devout time to these creatures.  In fact, this non-profit club was founded in 1981 by singer, Jimmy Buffett!  Learn more about the club and how you can adopt a manatee!

Who We Are:

Save the Manatee Club is an award-winning national nonprofit 501(c)(3) and membership-based organization established in 1981 by renowned singer/songwriter, Jimmy Buffett, and former U.S. Senator, Bob Graham, when he was governor of Florida.

Why We Need Your Support:

Human activities are harming manatees, and only our compassion and action can protect them.

Manatees are Florida’s official state marine mammal. They are listed as endangered at the international level by the IUCN World Conservation Union, at the federal level by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and at the state level by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Manatees are endangered largely due to human activity. Since record-keeping began in 1974, more than 41% of manatee deaths where cause of death was identified were human-related – and almost 34% were due to watercraft collisions (the largest known cause of manatee deaths). With increased awareness, education, regulations, and enforcement, manatee deaths caused by humans could be substantially reduced, and the eventual recovery of the species could be realized.

Our Mission:

Our mission is to protect endangered manatees and their aquatic habitat for future generations.

Our Objective:

Our objective is the recovery and protection of manatees and their aquatic ecosystems throughout the world.

Our Goals:

To protect ample healthy habitat to support a stable or growing manatee population

To reduce manatee harassment, injuries and deaths from human activity

To ensure that sufficient regulations have been adopted to accomplish these goals.

Our Work:

In order to accomplish our objective and goals we concentrate our efforts on reducing the negative impacts to manatees and their aquatic habitat caused by human activity through:

Increasing public awareness and education

Sponsoring research, rescue, rehabilitation, and release efforts

Advocating for strong protection measures, such as boat speed zones and sanctuaries

Taking legal action when appropriate

We also assist scientists and educators in the Wider Caribbean, South America, and West Africa with their conservation efforts.

ADOPT A MANATEE

Info via:  savethemanatee.org