manatees and other endangered life

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 8:07 pm

i just posted this in another thread and it made me think of endangered species of all types. what can we do? i am sure the FG community cares about animals and saving them. any ideas or pet causes? .............when i lived on a canal in key largo the manatees would come in to the dock. i would get in the water with them and feed them lettuce, and they really loved fresh water from a garden hose, would drink gallons of it, i put the hose right in their mouths. they were big as elephants and gentle as butterflies. they would roll over for me to scratch their bellies. we need to save the manatees, they are endangered. boat props slice them to ribbons with grievous injury. :-1

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 8:08 pm

manatees

CARLA · Post by **CARLA** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 10:30 pm

LC how can anyone hurt such a sweet creature... I agree we must save them.. I would love to get in the water with them and feed them what a thrill that must have been. When I was in Maui I feed dolphins by hand right off the side of the zodiac.. Gentle creature as well..!!

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abbey · Post by **abbey** » Sat Nov 26, 2005 12:40 am

What lovely creatures, i've never heard of them before.

they look a little like bull seals.

http://www.savethemanatee.org/

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Sat Nov 26, 2005 6:18 am

Abbey that is so cool that i introduced you to a new creature! they were mistaken for mermaids by sailors (drunk no doubt) when exploring the 'new world". when it gets cold they come into canals and the warm springs we have here. they just munch on plant life and don't bother anyone. we have speed zones in the waterways because boat props cut them up and even kill them, it's pitiful. they are very slow-moving animals.

SOJOURNER · Post by **SOJOURNER** » Sat Nov 26, 2005 7:23 am

Manatees are indeed unique creatures. Our oldest daughter did a report on them for school and because of this, we adopted a manatee for the next several years.

This was exciting because she got pictures of "her" adopted manatee and updates on his well being.

Younger daughter too wanted to be involved, but she had to "up" the competition and so we adopted a whale for her to monitor.

If you have access to small children this would be a fun way to connect with them and help enrich the animals lives.

For myself, panda bears are close to my heart. When our first daughter was born I was overwhelmed with a deep sadness that she could grow up to a world which no longer had them in it. I, therefore, sent donations for their care, feeding and reproduction.

chonsigirl · Post by **chonsigirl** » Sat Nov 26, 2005 7:28 am

Oh, that is cool Soujourner. I gave my daughter for her birthday present an adoption of a wild mustang, I love horses and so does she.

LC, the manatee photos are gorgeous, you are so fortunate to have fed them and been up close!

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Sat Nov 26, 2005 7:30 am

they are beautiful!!

SOJOURNER · Post by **SOJOURNER** » Sat Nov 26, 2005 7:35 am

lady cop wrote: they are beautiful!!

yes indeed.

we have a framed picture of the two pandas which were given to the US by China during the Nixon administration. It has been up in the same spot for almost 26 years, in this house.

I also have numerous statues of pandas and my mother has an entire shelf in her hutch filled with them........

Another bear that fascinates me is the polar bears. I would love to go to Churchill and watch them cross.............. Maybe, some day..........

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Sat Nov 26, 2005 7:38 am

i made friends with a polar bear once, at a zoo, visited him every day. petted him. fed him. then one day he bit some guy's hand off! but i still love them.

SOJOURNER · Post by **SOJOURNER** » Sat Nov 26, 2005 7:41 am

lady cop wrote: i made friends with a polar bear once, at a zoo, visited him every day. petted him. fed him. then one day he bit some guy's hand off! but i still love them.

Wow! How could they ever allow the public such close access...........

You see films of people doing stupid things like climbing inside their pens, but access to pet them. WOW! I would have wanted to pet them too.

chonsigirl · Post by **chonsigirl** » Sat Nov 26, 2005 7:49 am

Oh, i remember doing stupid things like that when I was a teenager. I went to the San Diego Zoo, feed the cheetah my sandwich meat, the monkeys peanuts, and the bongo all kinds of lettuce from my sandwich too. The innocence of youth, and good natured animals there!

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Sat Nov 26, 2005 7:54 am

i had a crazy uncle, who was actually a veterinarian, the only vet in the keys all through the 60's...used to give cigarettes and beer to the monkeys at biscayne park in miami!! he thought it was hilarious at the time.

chonsigirl · Post by **chonsigirl** » Sat Nov 26, 2005 7:57 am

No wonder they're endangered...........

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Sat Nov 26, 2005 8:13 am

he is so cute snooze, and that is what this thread is about! let's save these animals somehow. but how do we grow more bamboo?