Key West The Newspaper

At the top of many holiday wish lists is an adoption of a real living manatee. So those wondering how to get smiles of appreciation this festive season need only give a gift adoption of an endangered manatee from Save the Manatee Club.

It costs an affordable $25 to Adopt-A-Manatee® from the Club. Funds help to improve the lives of manatees and to protect aquatic habitat. The package includes an adoption certificate, photo and biography of a real Florida manatee, a membership handbook filled with photos, facts, and information, as well as official newsletters throughout the year with updates on the adoptive manatees. New members who adopt at the $35 level will also receive Save the Manatee Club’s 2017 full-color wall calendar. Shipping is free within the United States. All the manatees up for adoption can be viewed on the Club’s website at savethemanatee.org/adoptees.

Dona Chilcoat from Colorado adopted Ginger last year for her granddaughter who lives with her parents in Iowa. “Gwyn is fascinated by manatees, so adopting one as a gift was a logical choice,” said Dona, adding, “And manatees are lovely, somewhat mysterious creatures that deserve protection and respect.”

Gwyn, a musically-inclined ninth-grader who hopes to one day have a career in the science field, was delighted upon receiving a manatee gift adoption from her grandmother. “It was pure joy!” said Gwyn. “The manatee is my favorite animal, and knowing that I am helping to keep them safe is an incredible feeling.”

Save the Manatee Club was founded 35 years ago by Jimmy Buffett, the renowned singer/songwriter, and former Florida Governor and U.S. Senator, Bob Graham. The Club is an award-winning international nonprofit conservation and manatee welfare organization dedicated to ensure a long-term future for the endangered manatee and for Florida’s beleaguered aquatic ecosystems.

“Without the Club’s on-going work since the early 1980s to educate; to raise public awareness; to sponsor manatee research, rescue, rehabilitation, and release efforts; and through its conservation and advocacy efforts, manatees would not have such a high international profile, nor would they have such an organized grass roots support system as they do today,” said Patrick Rose, aquatic biologist and Executive Director of the Club. “Gwyn and her family members and all our wonderful strong supporters over the years have our deepest gratitude for their overwhelming kindness and concern for the manatees’ well-being.”

Help the manatees by holiday shopping for tax-deductible manatee gift adoptions and impressive new merchandise from the Club’s Manatee Store. To adopt, call toll free at 1-800-432-JOIN (5646), or visit the web site at savethemanatee.org. To shop for jewelry, books, clothing, calendars, and many more delightful holiday gift items, go to shopsavethemanatee.org.

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