Save the Manatee Club

Save the Manatee is a 501(c)(3) non-profit group and membership organization. It is the world's leading manatee conservation group. The organization was founded in 1981 by singer and songwriter Jimmy Buffett, and Governor of Florida (later U.S. Senator) Bob Graham.

Save the Manatee Club raises funds from the Adopt-A-Manatee program to go toward public awareness and education projects, manatee research, rescue and rehabilitation efforts, advocacy and legal action to ensure better protection for manatees and their habitat. There are currently about 40,000 members who belong to Save the Manatee Club. The Club has also assisted state and federal governments with research projects in Florida such as aerial surveys, seagrass studies, telemetry studies, manatee photo identification projects, population modeling and the compilation of over twenty years of research on the population of Blue Spring manatees.

International efforts

Save the Manatee Club has provided the funds for tracking Manatees in Belize, to help the Caribbean Stranding Network in Puerto Rico to provide care for orphaned manatees, and to educate villagers in Nicaragua on Manatees.

Manatee conservation status

Manatees are large marine mammals that inhabit slow rivers, canals, saltwater bays, estuaries, and coastal areas. They are a migratory species, inhabiting the Florida waters during the winter and moving as far north as Virginia and as far west as Texas in the warmer summer months. Manatees are calm herbivores that spend most of their time eating, sleeping, and traveling. They have a lifespan of about 60 years with no known natural enemies. Some of their deaths are the result of human activity. In the past, manatees were exploited for their meat, fat, and hides.

Sources of danger

Various human activities threaten manatee populations. Fishing nets and lines can cause injuries to manatees that can lead to serious infections. Some manatee deaths are the result of collisions with boats. Additionally, coastal development can affect manatee habitats, both positively and negatively. Manatees tend to gather in the warm water outflows of power plants and springs during cold weather.