The New York Times reports today that Florida Republican Governor Charlie Crist asked to delay the vote today to reclassify the gentle, gigantic manatee as threatened (rather than endangered). The Governor hopes the delay will give the panel more time to review the issues, including the fact that there were 417 manatee deaths last year and will ultimately "preserve one of our state's beloved natural resources."
It takes backbone to protect manatees (the grace of Fred Astaire, the body of Fred Flintstone) from the coalition of Florida speedboaters.
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I grew up in Florida, in central Florida to be exact. As a kid we went to Blue Springs and other manatee havens on field trips, to observe these gentle and curious animals.
No time for anything new (working on a book chapter and putting the finishing touches to the Tet Zoo book), so here's this, from the archives. NOT properly updated, so please be aware that it's more than four years old...
This sounds encouraging, albeit I note it's only a "request" for a "delay" (on the vote). Any idea when there will be a decision on the requested delay?