07/06/2022
Being a born and raised Florida Man, one of my favorite animals on the planet has always been the manatee! Ever since my first encounter at Sarasota's Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, I've held a special place in my heart for those gentle giants of the Gulf. Plus, I happen to relate to them physically!
Unfortunately, the last few years have been rough on our robust buddies. Manatee populations are steadily decreasing due in large part to a lack of natural vegetation. Years of pollution has resulted in harmful algae blooms that compromise the manatees' primary food source, seagrass, causing mass starvation. Between their shortage of food and boating-related deaths, over 1,000 manatees were found dead on Florida's east coast in 2021.
I hope to continue seeing sea-cows in the Sunshine State, and fortunately, conservation groups are hard at work restoring manatee habitats, doing everything from reducing pollution to supporting seagrass growth, to caring for sick and injured manatees.
One of my favorite foundations is Florida's own Save the Manatee Club, a non-profit that is committed to protecting our precious manatees and their habitats! So for every "Save the Manatees" shirt sold, I will donate $5 to their foundation and together, we can do our part to SAVE THE MANATEES! Or to go the extra mile, you can donate directly to their cause through this post.
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https://www.etsy.com/SwampMagicShirtShop/listing/1235547750/save-the-manatees-retro-inspired-tank?utm_campaign=Share&utm_medium=social_organic&utm_source=MSMT&utm_term=so.smt&share_time=1657135709000
Learn more about the Save the Manatee Club's incredible conservation efforts and what you can do to help here;
https://www.savethemanatee.org/how-to-help/take-action/floridas-algae-blooms/
