News

Staff Story

By Natalie Thompson, Multimedia Assistant

Growing up in central Texas, it wasn’t until college that I had the joy of seeing manatees in person. I’d become fascinated with marine life at a young age and was determined to someday become a marine biologist. As I worked to fulfill that dream and earn my degree, I had the incredible experience of interning at an aquarium in Florida, where I met my first manatees.

While my first job after college took me on a detour working with dolphins for several years, manatees had stolen my heart, and I’d always hoped to get back to working more closely with them. My next job allowed me to do just that, aiding in the treatment and rehabilitation of rescued manatees at one of only a few critical care facilities for manatees in the world. The time I spent with a team of incredibly dedicated professionals, who worked 24/7 to save some of the most critically injured manatees, was both humbling and inspiring.

Watching manatees fight for their lives against illness and injury, often the result of human-related actions, was a powerful motivator to continue caring for these beautiful, resilient animals. But as it often does, life had other plans, and a serious injury of my own ultimately prevented me from continuing to work hands-on with manatees. However, it also led me to Save the Manatee Club, and I am so grateful to continue working for the manatees in a different capacity as the Club’s Multimedia Assistant. Now, I assist with managing our webcams and social media, as well as with other multimedia projects.

I am fortunate enough to occasionally see some of the very manatees I helped to rehabilitate on our live webcams, following their recovery and eventual return to their natural habitat. I like to think they’re living their best lives, and seeing a familiar face or scar pattern on our webcams is always such an amazing full-circle moment.

I’ve also seen firsthand the devastating effects of the threats manatees face and remember those who were unable to overcome their illness or injury. I hope more people realize that even the smallest actions make a difference for manatees. Picking up that piece of trash at the park—even if it isn’t yours—could save the life of a manatee that would otherwise ingest it and suffer from intestinal blockage as a result. Talking to your friend about manatees—when neither of you even live in Florida—could save a manatee years from now when that friend vacations in Florida, rents a boat for a day, and is aware and caring enough to go slow in manatee habitat. Because we are all connected, we all contribute to those full-circle moments, even if it is a rare phenomenon to witness them.