Endangered Mermaids: The Manatees of Florida – DVD

Manatees, slow-moving and harmless plant-eating marine mammals, frequent the shallows of Florida's rivers and coastal ocean. These huge animals, which can be fifteen feet long and weigh 3,000 pounds, eat only aquatic plants. As the number of people living in Florida grows, the number of manatees shrinks, as a result of the development necessary to support the growing population. Many manatees fall victim to dwindling habitats, while others are struck and injured or killed by speedboats. Hundreds of Floridians have joined in an effort to save this captivating animal from extinction. Endangered Mermaids tells the story of the manatee in Florida through the eyes of the many people who study, care for, and rescue them. The film follows the rescue of two manatees stuck in a Cocoa Beach storm drain. Though most animals caught in storm drains do not survive, after a heroic rescue, these manatees were transferred to Sea World for treatment and rehabilitation, then released. This is a powerful film about the animals Columbus once mistook for mermaids, but more importantly, a story about people who are working together towards a common goal to save a species from extinction.

• nature