Photos by Jez is the new host of WWE that is a weekly challenge posted on Monday.
Manatees have ventured into the springs to keep warm at Blue Spring State Park in Orange City, Florida. The large dark lumps in the water are manatees, aka Sea Cows. Often times, boaters go through the waterways too fast and hit these large animals. Many of them have scars from being hit. Some don’t survive when they are hit. The springs offers warmer waters in the winter and a safety area where motorized boats can not travel.
Our Eyes Open 
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14 responses to “Water Water Everywhere #71 – MANATEES”
Super cool! I had no idea what it might look like to see an actual manatee (I’m from “the upper left corner” of the US).
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They are awesome creatures. They are in real trouble because of the amount of people now living in Florida plus the visitors. Then on top of it, you have partiers who don’t care or respect wildlife. 🙂
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Ditto, Lisa, not only on the awesomeness of the manatees but also the human (people and partiers) factor. Moreover, at the following web link, you’ll read about a serious situation plaguing these gentle, peaceful creatures that are a natural part of Florida’s ecosystem.
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/415776-spring-may-ease-manatee-die-off-soon-but-future-uncertain
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Yeah it’s a sad situation. I couldn’t open the link. I got a 404. 😊
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I just finished checking three links for the floridapolitics site, Lisa, and none of them work (all showing error 404). Evidently someone in high places didn’t like what the site article implied (e.g., poor government management of Florida waterways causing a major rise in disease related die-offs of the manatees for this time of year) and managed to shut the site down. Such is life on The Third Rock. 😦
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SHOCKED! We didn’t even talk about the fertilizing the lawn and how bad that is for all the birds, fish and animals. 🙂
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Wow! That would be quite the sight to see!
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They are incredible! 🙂
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That is so fabulous 🙂 🙂
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We need to feed the manatees.
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So happy that they have a refuge from idiots in boats! Fantastic shots, Lisa 😃
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Thanks Jez! Yes, unfortunately they only go to those refuges in the winter when the water is too cold out in the gulf. The springs are warmer and of course more constricting. Unfortunately, when the waters warm up is when everyone is out boating and partying. The pandemic hasn’t slowed it down…kinda made it worse.
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It’s a shame folk don’t have respect for nature & put their own selfish wants ahead of the wellbeing of flora & fauna 😩
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Yep. 🌸
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