Infuriating Manatee Video

We have had an opportunity to dive with Birds Adventures in Crystal Springs, Florida and dive in Three Sisters springs in Crystal River, the place where this video is shot.

Birds has a mandatory briefing video called "Minding Manatee Manners" that explains without confusion exactly what you can and cannot do when interacting with these magnificent wild animals.

I personally thought the Manatee Manners video was just common sense but time seems to always prove that sense is not so common, and this video here demonstrates it.

The perpetrators here look like teens and early 20's types, not divers.

LiveLeak.com - Manatee Harassment Video Leads to Investigation

I believe there is a law prohibiting such behaviour. Go after the poster and from there to the idiots doing the crap.

I am not exactly sure what the problem is. I know you are most likely not supposed to interact with them so much, but unless I missed something I didn't see anything that seemed that bad. It looked like a bunch of kids trying to pet them like they are puppies. They surely did not run them over with their boat, which from what I know is the big issue.

According to the posting itself, Florida Fish & Wildlife are on the case, we'll see if anything comes of it. Interesting that it states "several enthusiastic divers" whereas nobody in the video had scuba gear and only a couple of them even had a mask or fins on. My guess is it's just tourists who saw the animals, had little idea they were doing anything very wrong and so just jumped in to enjoy the moment. Hopefully they will see some comments regarding the posting and think twice next time. Who knows, maybe the Fish & Wildlife guys will have a few words.

Manatee Harassment Video Leads to Investigation
Last weekend, dozens of manatees jammed into the sanctuary at Three Sisters Springs, and some overflowed outside the sanctuary's protection. Several enthusiastic divers in the water for a manatee encounter grabbed at, walked on and rode some of the manatees - in violation of every state and federal rule aimed at protecting the marine mammals.

The video is prompting promises of new resolve from the agencies charged with keeping manatees safe. Kenneth Haddad, executive director for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, was pledged that the incident will be investigated.

Wow, the video does not look bad, but the words sound like a crime. Just goes to show you how the media blows everything up. Seriously, I did not see any Manatee abuse there at all. None of them were hurt in any way. I understand why the rules are in place, and I am not saying the rules should not be there either, but come on there are people intentionally killing animals illegally, go after them.

I would agree that the manatee's aren't remotely physically hurt by the activity shown compared to being hit by boat propellers, but I think what is at stake is we have an endangered species that needs to winter in this area to survive.

With their survival at stake, doing things that would make them avoid the area is a threat to their existence as a species, and trying to boisterously ride them like a horse certainly risks them not wanting to interact with humans.

Anthropologists debate about what motivates our unique human experience where we want to touch and communicate with wild animals, but to do anything that could result in the government stepping in and prohibiting a rare opportunity to interact and touch a wild endangered animal that for many is a spiritual experience would be a shame.

Here is the government's Manatee Manners video.

I am rarely a fan of ANYTHING the government does but this video is right on.

http://www.fws.gov/video/movQuickTim...56K_stream.mov

The link did not work. Did it work for anyone else?

It was a QT file link to a government website.....we don't expect it to work anytime shortly.

I've got to agree with Publisher on this one. I go on Manatee visits every year. There are very specific rules that must be followed when interacting. You don't go to the animal, you wait for it to come to you. No splashing, you only touch with 1 hand at a time. You don't chase, harrass, feed and especially, ride on, step on or do anything other than lay still in the water and rub it with one hand if it allows you do to so. That video makes me see the sense in banning all human interaction with manatees. As much as I love getting in the water with them, I would deal with a ban if it kept crap like this from happening. Of course, like a lot of rules (such as gun laws) it wonly affects the law abiding citizens. The crooks and people that don't care aren't going to follow the ban just like they don't follow the normal rules. So, it's almost a no-win scenerio.. I do think they ought to prosecute to highest extent when people are found to break the laws.

Yea' I don't know.

There are so many rules, such a large percentage of the population is in jail, the world is falling apart, who knows what the right thing to do is? Save the manatees, so they can enjoy the polluted water?

Maybe the problem is not the people, but the corperations that are not following the same set of rules we are. These were just kids trying to interact with the manatees in the way they know how. No animals were hurt in the video!!! I don't think they should be playing with the manatees in the way they were, but do you want to put a few kids in jail for it? I guess all boat owners and captains should be locked up as well. Come to think of it all divers as well, I mean we use boats to get to our dive site, and some boats hit manatees. Especially true for spearfishermen, they actually kill animals, not the cute cuddly manatee everyone cares about, but the ugly ones no one cares about. Does that mean they are any less important? Like our friend the shark, people don't like them so they don't care that they are becoming endangered.

I GOT IT!!!!


SAVE THE PLANET, KILL THE HUMANS!

Ace, I think your point that people want to save the cuddly cute creatures but not the ugly ones is quite well founded.

When I find spiders in my home, even the occasional black widow as I am in a rural sort of area, I catch them in a cup and take them outside.

No.. I don't think we should put everyone in jail, but I think stiffer control over manatee (or any endangered creature for that matter) interaction is warranted. And, if it comes to it, a nice fine for breaking the law. The fines can go directly to the protection efforts of the creature they harmed, molested or whatever. And yes, if Charter operators aloow the behavior on their charters, then their charter license needs to be revoked.
Although, I do agree with the cuddly vs. ugly part, Spearfishermen are not hunting and shooting endangered fish. The Goliath Grouper is off limits to spearfishermen and you don't see them taking them. There are certain laws dictating what fish and how big the fish have to be. The "law abiding" fishermen follow these rules as close as they can.
The divers with boats thing just makes no sense. 99% of boating injuries to manatees are accidents by the boater not seeing the manatee or going too fast and not being able to avoid them. But, yes, if someone intentionally runs over a mantee, take their boat, give it to the Wildlife Preserve people and make them pay a very hefty fine.
These animals cannot fend for themselves when it comes to humans. It's up to us to save the endangered creatures from our own people.
You mention no one likes sharks: I love sharks. Shark finners should have the same done to them. Arms cut off and thrown in the ocean. Just that simple.
The thing I'm trying to get across is we have to patrol ourselves when interacting with endangered (or any) animal. Just be smart about your interaction and if you see someone esle doing it wrong, point it out to them or a local authority.