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We went snorkeling at Crystal River in Florida. Saw manatees - they came up to us.
We knew to not approach/bother them, but they came up anyway. They seemed to particularly love my hubby.
We went out with a neat boat called art n diver (see them here) They run one of the few respectful operations in which they stress how to observe the manatees without interfering with their lives.
It's such a sad sight to see all the propeller marks on the manatees, and it seems that there's a divide: some of the locals see them as a nuisance while some folks see them as wonderfully fascinating creatures deserving our respect/protection.
The bigest threat is the loss of habitat - same story as for many, many other creatures in our world....
What a great experience, mightshould! Growing up I'd go floating down some of Florida's rivers, and the best was always when a manatee came and floated along with your crew (well, it was much better than the alligators who would sometimes come and swim along).
More of the view of them as a nuisance: I think some people feel this way because there are strict laws governing boat speed to try and help protect the manatees from the propeller blades. At first there was a lot of rebellion, but now there's even some social pressure, too. I've seen drunken boat captains zooming along, with people in canoes and on the banks yelling at them to slow down. Some people just don't want to give up the speed.
photo by splunge
photo by TheophileEscargot
photo by Kronos_to_Earth
photo by ethylene
