florida manatee

The  manatee  calf flips and tumbles beside her mother in the clear warm water of blue spring state. park near  orange  city. Florida  Tourists snap phots from  platform nearby. conservationists are excited  to see the mother  manatee  named Annie with here newborn called  Naui (now  ee) Just  a few decades ago as few as 14 manatees swam through these freshwater springs and scientists worried that these marine mammal might disappear from flood forever. locals take action to make sure these marine mammals are on the rise. manatee  emergency before European settlers  arrived in the United  States up to 10,000 manatees lived off the coast of Florida But the  settlers hunted the slow moving animals for  their meat and feat which they used for lamp oil until only a few hundred were left. By the mid 20th century the hunting had stopped bot the remaining manatees  faced new threats. These mammals often glide near the ocean's surface to breath  directly  in the path of  boats. Each decade brought more people and their boat to Florida life danger out for manatees. Those people crated other dangers as well mentees don't  have blubber like seals and walruses so they can't survive long temperatures. below 68/f. But  the  natural warm spring where manatees spent  winters resting and raising their young were also popular  hangout for people.Too  frighted of humans to enter the spring from chillier waters many manatees died. These gentle animals desperately needed help says biologist Patrick Rose director of the  save the manatee club. On the mend  a manatee calf stays close to it's mother in crystal rive Florida. scientists nominated the species to be in the first group of animals protected by the endangered species act 1973, which gives government  agencies in the united states the power to protect endangered animals habitat and make it illegal to kill or  harass  certain species. Tow year later a group of kids campaigned to make the manatee Florida state marine mammal which helped spread  the word about them. Over  the next  decades Florida officials worded with local governments to create protected spaces for manatee called sanctuaries. people aren't allowed to swim boat or fish in these areas giving manatees a safe place to rest. just outside the sanctuaries they created slow speed zone for boaters which helps reduce the number of mandates injured by boat. The save the manatee club also  gave  away go slow. banners that boaters cold hold up  if someone  spotted a mandate  outside of a protected zone. Every  manatee matters for the survival  of the species rose say. manatees forever In 2019 experts reported that some 7,000 are living along the  Florida coast far more than the number living there during  the mid 20th century. The hard work done to protect mantis and their  habitat  worked but comer vationists know they aren't  done. The  population's recovering but threats to these manatees certainly still exist says Ron Mezich a biologist  with the Florida fish wild life conservation. Today more than 700 mana tees including Annie and naui spend the winter in blue  spring state park visitors can observe the  pair from a dock and conservations keep  watch one all the park manatees. Hope fully Naui is sign the other mentees will survive  in Florida for year to come . Akayaker holds up  sing to warn others to keep clear of the manatee below. manatees only breathe through their  nostrils when resting mantees can stay underwater for up to 20 minutes. from called national geographic kids