For Immediate Release: May 5, 2003

What are manatees? Where do they live? How much do they weigh, and why are their teeth so unique? You can find out the answers to these questions and more when you visit Save the Manatee Club’s (SMC) new Cool Manatee Stuff section at the web site.

The Cool Stuff section was recently launched to provide information about endangered manatees in a fun and interactive way. “People are wild about manatees – no pun intended,” said Nancy Sadusky, Director of Online Communications for the Club. “Each year, we literally get thousands of phone calls, e-mails, and letters from people all over the world asking questions about manatees. In particular, we created the Cool Manatee Stuff section to provide more opportunities for teachers and students to learn about manatees. But I think there is something for everyone – young and old alike – at the Cool Stuff section. Above all, we wanted to make learning fun and interactive, and the Internet is the perfect medium for that.

Visitors to the Cool Manatee Stuff section can send postcards that feature manatee photos and facts to family and friends. They can watch a slide show on manatees, test their “sirenian smarts” by taking a quiz, or view a manatee photo gallery. They can also listen to manatee sounds, watch a video featuring underwater footage of manatees, or help guide a mother and calf to safe shelter by playing a manatee maze game. In addition, children can download a free eight-page coloring and activity book, and parents and teachers can download a 38-page educator’s guide on manatees. They can also request a free PowerPoint presentation of the slide show that is featured at the site and pdf versions of public awareness brochures are also available. The Club plans to add to the Cool Stuff section on a regular basis by creating new games and features and by including new postcards and quizzes.

“Each year, many manatees needlessly suffer and die as a result of human-related activities,” said Judith Vallee, Executive Director for the Club. “By creating the Cool Manatee Stuff section and including education materials that can be downloaded, we hope to attract more web site visitors and help them learn about endangered manatees and what they can do to help protect them.”

The Kenneth A. Scott Charitable Trust, a KeyBank Trust, provided funding to produce the Cool Manatee Stuff section. The foundation was established to continue the mission of caring for animals that Mr. Scott began in his lifetime and seeks to promote the humane treatment of animals on a national level. Netpass, Inc. of Orlando, FL, provided web hosting services for the project. Several professional manatee photographers also donated the use of their images for the Cool Stuff section.

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Additional manatee education materials are available from Save the Manatee Club, For more information, go to our Education Materials page


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