Adopt a Real, Live Manatee for MomHow do you please Mom this Mother’s Day without breaking the bank? Colleen McColloch from Celina, Texas suggests adopting a real Florida manatee from Save the Manatee Club. It’s a gift Colleen and many others around the country and the world enjoy giving to mom on her special day. “There were 90 manatee deaths from boat strikes in 2008, a sharp increase from the 5-year average,” said Patrick Rose, aquatic biologist and Executive Director of Save the Manatee Club. “There was also a record high 101 newly born and stillborn manatee deaths. Unfortunately, the first two months of 2009 have been associated with high numbers of watercraft and cold-related mortalities, and record-breaking total mortality. These alarming numbers, combined with growing threats, including the potential loss of winter warm-water sites and loss of aquatic habitat, require us to remain ever-vigilant, always seeking to reduce the number of human-related manatee deaths and advocating for the strongest protections possible.” Save the Manatee Club, a national, nonprofit advocacy organization, was founded in 1981 by singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett and former U.S. Senator and Florida Governor, Bob Graham. For more information about manatees and to adopt one for Mother’s Day – contact Save the Manatee Club at 500 N. Maitland Ave., Maitland, FL 32751, call 1-800-432-JOIN (5646), or visit their web site at www.savethemanatee.org,
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