LEARN ABOUT: Manatee
The Red Umbrella
We were graced by the beauty of six “woman” atees. They
are lovingly referred to by their caretakers as “the ladies”. They were
rescued from the wild, after falling victim to careless boaters. Nursed back
to supreme health, they are now the manatee goodwill ambassadors of
Homosassa Springs State Park. They munch on generous portions of romaine
lettuce, an assortment of Chinese cabbages, bok choy and won bok, carrots and
sweet potatoes. In return, their job is to “wow and vow”. They “wow” with
their gentle nature and capacity to forgive and trust humans and thus, inspire
all of us to “vow’ to love, respect and protect them and all other fragile
life forms.
We walked in the direction of the Gulf of Mexico
and crossed a bridge that separated “the ladies” from the wild. We donned a
red umbrella as an outermost garment in a weak attempt to shield ourselves
from the stinging wind and chilling rain. Soon we were honored by the presence
of several manatee families. I believe more than 50 manatees
were attracted to our red umbrella and were swimming wild and free around us.
Although the weather conditions were the same as
when we first arrived...we no longer felt the sting or chill.
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