y influence them.”(Akert).It’s difficult not to ask a question like “Why save the manatees?” when one isfaced with the problem of manatee endangerment. At first glance it seems that we do nothave any benefits from the manatees, and honestly, we don’t have any direct benefitsfrom these creatures, but the underlying gains are amazing. A manatee is like a guineapig. It tests out the water for us humans. If a manatee cannot survive in water, you and Ican’t either. The natural seagrass beds upon which the manatees feed are being engulfedby pollution from herbicides, and surface run off (Fitchner). Through out Florida,swimmers and fishermen have taken over what was once the manatees’ native territory. Manatee mortality is going up and so is human mortality on the waterways of Florida(Fitchtner). The guinea pigs are not surviving, and we may not either. It is time that wetook responsibility for our actions, and began respecting other living creatures; notnecessarily because we benefit from them, but just because they make our planet diverse. I found a quote by B. Dioum which I think very well summarizes our mentality,“For in the end we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what weunderstand. We will understand only what we are taught.”(Sea World). So the next timeyou are out on a boat and going above the speed limit, not only are you threatening yourlife, but also lives of manatees: defenseless, natural-born losers that cannot fight back. Sources CitedAkert, M. Robinson, Elliot Aronson, and Timothy D. Wilson. Social Psychology. 3rd ed.New York: Longman, 1998.Bertram, Colin. In Search of Mermaids. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1963.Bragg, Michael T. “Manatees Facts and Information.” 2 Mar. 2000.*www.homesafe.com/manatee/manatee-facts.html*.Carey, Donna. Telephone interview. 8 Mar. 2000.Chris. Telephone interview. 8 Mar. 2000.Fichtner, Margaria. ...
