Manatee Encounter

"Do you want to get in the water with a manatee?"  asked my neighbour at the SOWERs campsite.  She explained that another neighbour knew someone who lived on a canal, and that they were going over there.  We had just come back from inching our way along in the weekend traffic on the one highway that bisects the Florida Keys, birding and stopping in at a dog event.  I couldn't pass up an opportunity to do something crazy.  After I quickly donned my bathing suit, we found ourselves back on that busy highway. 

living on a canal

Apparently there are several manatees in the canal; today there was only the one small one.  "A teenager",  they called him.
Manatees are also known as "sea cows ".  What I saw as I peered over the edge of the canal was a lumbering, elephant-like beast, only it was in the water.  They are actually related to elephants.  Our neighbour was at the foot of a ladder holding  a hose, and letting the water trickle into the manatee's mouth.  This special attention he loved, and couldn't seem to get enough of. 

"Do you want a turn?" he asked.
 I gingerly climbed down the ladder into the  murky green water, trying to move slowly and quietly.  I was so close I could see the whiskers on his snout, if that's what you call it.  "What does he feel like?" asked Terry from his safe perch.  "Like a walrus!"
"Have you ever felt a walrus?"
"Well, no...but it's what I imagine a walrus to feel like".
  I wished I'd had a brush to scrub the algae from his back.  If you look closely, you can see a plastic piece circling his tail.  In the past, manatees had floating buoys attached to them so ships could see them.  This one had the remnants still on his tail, but attempts to remove it have not worked.  One of the greatest dangers for manatees is getting hit by a boat or its propeller.
After about fifteen minutes in the water, I signalled Terry to take a video. This is the short version.

I can't say swimming with a manatee has been on my "bucket list", but I'm glad I was able to take the opportunity!