The Save the Manatee Club is offering a unique Father’s Day gift idea with its Adopt-A-Manatee program.
For $25, Save the Manatee Club will send Dad an adoption certificate, photo and known history of a real, living manatee— or for $35, a Save the Manatee Club T-shirt will also be included with the adoption package.
Through the club’s education and public-awareness efforts, which includes the Adopt-A-Manatee program, manatees have grown increasingly popular around the country and the world, according to the organization. For example, Clover Schinke lives in northern California in the middle of the redwood forests by the Pacific Ocean. She and her son, Baeden, adopted a manatee last year for Father’s Day.
“We were looking for a unique gift, and since we all love the manatee, it seemed like a good fit,” said Schinke, who selected Floyd from the Club’s Blue Spring State Park adoption program. “My husband Chris was surprised and delighted with the adoption, and he was very pleased that we had adopted a manatee named Floyd, as one of his favorite bands is Pink Floyd.”
The manatees themselves have become celebrities, especially those in Save the Manatee Club’s adoption programs, the club says. Manatees like Howie, a prankster in the manatee world and hugely popular in the Club’s Blue Spring adoption program, has been on the cover of a top-selling magazine. Many others have appeared in articles and been featured in the Club’s TV public-service messages.
Those interested can select from 34 manatees up for adoption, including possible favorites for Dad such as Gator, Doc, Rocket and Brutus. See photos and a list of the manatees available for adoption at savethemanatee.org/adoptees. Whichever manatee is chosen, adopting one helps them all. Funds from the adoption program support Save the Manatee Club’s long-term goals to safeguard endangered manatees and their aquatic habitat.
Manatees have suffered significant losses in recent years, particularly from cold stress and red tide outbreaks. Collisions with watercraft continue to be a large known cause of manatee injuries and deaths. Habitat deterioration and loss of warm-water habitat are also major concerns.
Save the Manatee Club is a nonprofit conservation organization, established in 1981 by singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett and former Florida Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham. The club: educates and raises public awareness; conducts research and sponsors rescue, rehabilitation, and release efforts; supports land acquisition and promotes aquatic habitat protection; advocates for improved protection measures; and assists education and conservation efforts in other countries as well.
Read about the Club’s many activities and accomplishments at savethemanatee.org/smcinfo .
For more information on manatees, and to adopt one for Father’s Day, visit Save the Manatee Club at savethemanatee.org/adopt or call toll-free at 1-800-432-JOIN (5646.)
Follow the Club at twitter.com/savethemanatee, facebook.com/savethemanateeclub, pinterest.com/SaveTheManateeC/ and instagram.com/adoptamanatee/. Watch manatee videos on YouTube at youtube.com/adoptamanatee .
