Last Chance for the Manatee

Can the gentle sea creature be saved from extinction ?

They look a bit like Grover Cleveland.

Same whiskers, thick wrinkled skin.

Hefty too: up to 2,200 Ibs. of blubbery bulk. But while Cleveland hailed from New Jersey, the manatee is a native of warmer climes: the rivers of West Africa, the Amazon basin, the shores of the Caribbean, and the coasts of Florida. Now the gentle and once plentiful creature is in serious danger of extinction. In Africa and South America, tribesmen have hunted it for its delectable meat--not unlike veal--as well as its fat and oil, leathery skin and ivory-like bone. In Florida, only some 1,000 remain, and the death rate appears to be exceeding the birth rate.

A 1907 law made manatee hunting illegal in Florida. But the creature, which has no natural enemies, still faces a marine foe: the whirring propellers of the state's 500,000 speedboats. Because manatees loll just below the water surface with only their nostrils showing, they are often invisible to pleasure cruisers. Collisions are common, and even if the manatee survives, its 1-in.-thick skin is brutally gouged by the sharp blades. One marine expert estimates that 80% of the state's manatees are propeller-scarred. Manatees also drown by drifting into flood-control gates; some have been cruelly murdered by vandals.

No creature could be less deserving of such abuse. The manatee is a peaceful herbivore, retaining from its prehistoric days on land the vestigial bones of hind legs and three nails, once claws, at the end of each flipper. It leads a blissful existence chomping underwater weeds and drowsing on sandy bottoms, with reluctant trips up for air about every 4 min. Young manatees love to play with each other or people, embracing with their flippers and kissing full on the muzzle. A mother will usually bear just one calf every three to five years, not enough to offset the current attrition rate.

Some legislation is already in effect to help save the manatees. The 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits molesting, capturing or killing them, and is backed by stiff fines and jail terms for offenders. The 1978 Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act restricts boat speeds in critical areas (maximum penalty: $1,000 and a year in jail) and even forbids divers from enticing the animals into underwater play.

The state has set up a toll-free telephone hot line for reporting manatee death, injury or harassment. Billboards and bumper stickers are in evidence, proclaiming the manatee the "Endangered Floridian." But the battle is far from won. Warns University of Miami Marine Biologist Daniel Odell: "The manatees are sitting targets for everything, and it will take a major effort to preserve them."

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