People are curious. So it’s only natural when seeing something amazing like a huge aggregation of manatees that they want to get as close as possible… but manatees aren’t really all that into it. Sure, they’re the cows of the sea, but even cows don’t like being poked and prodded.
When two photographers from Nat Geo, Cristina Mietterneier and Paul Nicklen were at the Three Sisters Springs in Florida, they came across these manatees sunning themselves in warm, shallow water.
As humans will do, they gathered around the group, getting as close as possible. The manatees, however, decided en masse that they had had just about enough. Nicklen’s caption on Instagram describes the moment:
US Fish and Wildlife and most tour operators have a strict code of ethic to respect the Manatees and maintain a safe distance while the manatees attempt to stay warm. The perimeter floats are put in place to keep people out but the Manatees go to where the warm water is and not necessarily within the confines of the rope barrier. They are literally trying to stay alive and it is imperative not to disturb them. However, it is hard to keep an eye on everyone and many disregard the rules. You can see people swimming amongst them, grabbing them and even pushing off of them. Then, more boats arrive and eventually there is a large bang from one of the boats and all of the manatees disperse back out into the cold water.
