Manatees meandering in the bay today

Gentle giants gracefully grazing

Mother and baby drifting together

Occasionally surfacing for air

Boating battle scars on their backs

Proof that the manatee boating warning signs don’t work

Can we ever live in harmony with this harmless seacow

Threatened by red tides and loss of habitat

10% of the Florida manatee population died in 2021

Mostly from starvation caused by destruction of seagrass

They have no natural enemies

Except humans who are progressively developing the shorelines

Carelessly running boats over them

Or discarding fishing gear to entangle them

So sad that these creatures are mostly hidden from view

Most people are unaware of their presence or their plight

Manatees meandering in the bay today

But for how long?