Gottfried Green

We had just picked up a small, 10ft jon boat to easily explore the creek. The second we put it in the water, I looked around and saw this huge brown mass moving around the lagoon but for some reason I just thought it was a reflection of the mangroves on the water. Anyway, as soon as we pushed off this huge swirl occurred right next to the boat and I just about walked on water to get back to shore. It wasn't until after my initial alligator paranoia retreated (there's a very small chance they'd enjoy the creek's brackish water) that we realized it was a manatee. We walked around and watched him as he ate. We hope he comes back again. Manatees have a tough time in FL. If it isn't the boat motors injuring and killing them, apparently red tide toxins remaining in the water also kill them. "Red tide is such a unique threat to the approximately 1,000 manatees in Southwest Florida that a state report last year predicted their numbers would drop 80 percent in three generations. The same report recommended reclassifying the manatee from endangered to threatened, because they are faring better in other parts of the state where red tide is rare." Read the article at the link.

Labels: wildlife