For Immediate Release: June 2, 2003
(Note to media organizations: If you are interested in featuring this story, a high-resolution jpeg (300 dpi) image of a manatee can be e-mailed upon request.)


Stumped on what to do for Father’s Day this year? Adopt a manatee! For twenty-five dollars, Save the Manatee Club (SMC) will send an adoption certificate, photo, and life history of a manatee who is just right for your dad. And from June 1-30, each new member who joins the Adopt-A-Manatee program online at $35 or more will receive a free ball cap while supplies last. The cap is soft, navy blue, brushed high-quality denim with white embroidered lettering of SMC’s logo. The cap is one size fits all, and features a cloth adjustable strap with buckle. Adopt Whiskers, Doc, Brutus or any other manatee in the adoption program for dear old dad and get a free ball cap to boot. Flash is perfect for the shy guy, and Lenny is also a great manatee for dad. He is known affectionately as the “couch-potato” manatee because he seems to prefer rest to all other activities.

Manatees are animals your dad might relate to. Large, gentle and slow-moving, manatees spend most of their time eating and sleeping. In fact, manatees can consume up to 10-15% of their body weight in vegetation daily. Adult manatees have been known to exceed 13 feet and weigh over 3,500 pounds. However, the average adult manatee is about 10 feet long and weighs between 800 – 1,200 pounds. A migrating species, manatees are found in the shallow, slow-moving estuaries, saltwater bays, canals, and coastal areas of southeastern United States. In the winter, usually November through March, manatees are concentrated primarily in Florida. In the winter, manatees gather near warm water sources such as natural springs or warm water effluents of power plants. Individual manatees often return to the same warm water areas year after year.

Twenty-nine manatees are part of SMC's three Adopt-A-Manatee programs. One adoption program is located at Blue Spring State Park in Orange City, FL. Nineteen manatees live in the wild and winter at the park’s natural warm water spring. The manatees who have been chosen for the Adopt-A-Manatee program at Blue Spring are adults who have a good history of returning to the park year after year.

SMC’s second Adopt-A-Manatee program is located at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park (HSWSP) in Homosassa, FL. Five manatees who cannot be released into the wild make the park their year-round home. HSWSP is also a rehabilitation facility for manatees who are recovering from injuries before being released back into the wild. Five manatees who are frequently seen in the Tampa Bay area of Florida are also up for adoption. These manatees are part of SMC’s third adoption program and are tracked by researchers at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Marine Research Institute. During the winter, they are regular visitors to the warm water discharge area at Tampa Electric Company’s (TECO) power plant.

The Adopt-A-Manatee program is the primary source of funding for SMC, a nonprofit organization established in 1981 by U.S. Senator Bob Graham and singer Jimmy Buffett. Funds raised by the Adopt-A-Manatee program go toward public awareness activities such as state and national public service announcements, educational brochures, and "Please Watch For Manatees" public awareness waterway signs. SMC also distributes free education materials to teachers and students across the U.S. and internationally. The Club helps fund manatee research projects and manatee rescue and rehabilitation efforts. In addition, SMC lobbies for the protection of manatees and their habitat and supports international efforts to help manatees in South America and the wider Caribbean.

West Indian manatees are listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Currently, the U.S. manatee population is estimated at about 3,000. Many adult manatees living in the wild bear scars from at least one watercraft collision. In fact, manatee scars are so commonplace, researchers use them as a method of individual identification. Other human-related causes of manatee mortality include ingestion of fishhooks, monofilament line and litter; entanglement in crab trap lines; and being crushed and/or drowned in canal locks and flood control structures. Loss of habitat is the overall threat facing manatees today.

Get more information about manatees or the Adopt-A-Manatee program.