Key West The Newspaper

The best kind of gift on Mother’s Day is one that comes straight from the heart.  A manatee adoption from Save the Manatee Club is a thoughtful surprise that any mom would be pleased to receive on her special day.  It makes a great gift and it also provides vital help for endangered manatees.

A tax-deductible gift adoption from the Club costs $25 and includes an adoption certificate, full-color photo, and biography of a real, living manatee with their own unique story.  Select a manatee for mom from the 35 adoptees posted on the Club’s website at savethemanatee.org/adoptees​, like playful Whiskers, feisty Paddy Doyle, big Brutus, and mischievous Howie.  The adoption package also comes with a fact-filled handbook, plus subscriptions to the Club’s official quarterly newsletter, The Manatee Zone, which features updates on the manatee adoptees, and the bi-monthly e-newsletter, Paddle Tales.  For $35 or more, new members will also receive a handmade heart-shaped manatee ornament, whilethey last.

Jo Reinker from Texas and her sister adopted “Elsie” from the Club’s Tampa Bay Adopt-A-Manatee® program for their mother, Riley, last year.  “My mother loves her adopted manatee,” says Jo.   “Elsie is also a mom so it made sense to adopt her for Mother’s Day, and we wanted to get our mom something different and meaningful.”

Since 1981, Save the Manatee Club, an international nonprofit 501(c) (3) manatee conservation organization, has been the voice for manatees.  Renowned singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett co-founded the organization.

Funds from the adoption program help go toward public awareness and education programs; research, rescue, and rehabilitation efforts; and advocacy and legal action to ensure better protection for endangered manatees and their imperiled aquatic habitat.

Patrick Rose, Executive Director of Save the Manatee Club says, “Our many wonderful supporters help us make great strides in defending endangered manatees against all the threats that jeopardize their survival such as watercraft-related incidents, red tide outbreaks, cold stress events, and loss of vital habitats.  We simply must remain vigilant every day to protect manatees now and long into the future.”

Jo feels it’s important to educate people about the manatees.  “The more people know about them, the more we can help protect them!”  Save the Manatee Club’s extensive outreach efforts have grown over the years with the help of manatee advocates and dedicated volunteers.

For more information on adopting a manatee for Mother’s Day, visit Save the Manatee Club’s website at savethemanatee.org, or call 1-800-432-JOIN (5646).  Also, visit The Manatee Store, the Club’s online shopping center, for more caring gift ideas at shopsavethemanatee.org.

Follow the Club using Twitter twitter.com/savethemanatee, Facebook facebook.com/savethemanateeclub, and Pinterest pinterest.com/SaveTheManateeC/, and Instagram instagram.com/adoptamanatee/. Watch manatee videos on YouTube at youtube.com/adoptamanatee.