The Manatee has shown up a lot for me today. I started the day seeing two posts by FL Fish & Wildlife about rescued manatees and then another post by a friend on social media who had a lovely encounter with a manatee on one of her trips. Whether the message was for myself or is meant for someone else, I became aware that it was time to share some animal Symbolism, something I have been wanting to do for some time now.
Manatees are extremely peaceful creatures. They are aquatic mammals, often called “Sea-Cows”, and are typically semi-social in nature. Manatees are herbivores and will spend most of their day in search of food and snacking on aquatic plants. They are related to elephants and average about 10 feet in length and 1,200 pounds in weight, and though they are large in size, they are graceful swimmers and creatures of tranquility. There are three manatee species worldwide. The West Indian, West African, and Amazonian, with a few subspecies such as the Florida Manatee, and their conservation status ranges from threatened to endangered.
Manatees are often threatened by boats near and around their feeding area and habitat. Because manatees remain in shallow waters where their main food source grows, they don’t often have a lot of room to move out of the way when a boat approaches. Because of this, some areas have patrol boats that help spot manatees in the area as well as “Slow Speed” zones to help reduce accidental injury of feeding manatees. They are also threatened by litter and pollution of their natural habitats. Oils spills, plastics, and other trash are all dangerous to remaining manatee populations.
Helping manatees can be done through litter pick up efforts, water cleanup, by being cautious and aware when using a boat in known manatee habitats, and by education and outreach. There may also be local wildlife organizations that offer the opportunity to help manatees directly through their education programs or rescue efforts.
On a metaphysical and symbolical level, manatees are aquatic animals associated with the element of water and emotional calmness. They are known to represent gentleness and tranquility and are often connected to relaxation and mediation, as well as psychic awareness. If the manatee has made its way to you, it might be good to set some time aside for meditation and relaxation. Surround yourself in the calmness and gentleness of water over your skin, the sounds of water or waves, and take things slow for the moment. Be mindful and at peace.
Animals and conservation have been a passion for me my entire life, so when I discovered Zooniverse a few days back, I became SO ecstatic!
Zooniverse is a platform bringing together real research projects from organizations and researchers seeking volunteers to help them make new discoveries, train programs for better animal classification, and more. Not only are there animal and conservation projects, there are projects for health and medical, science of all sorts, literature, and more!
Read more about them from their About Page, below!
I personally have started with the Wildwatch Burrowing Owl Project, Beluga Bits Project, and the Iberian Camera Trap Project! For each of these projects, I am helping train new programs to better identify animals and specific species in photographs taken by cameras in the areas of protected wildlife. This will help in the conservation efforts of the protection of these animals as well as to help the researchers better understand the ecosystem and behaviors of these animals! You can learn more about these projects on my What I’ve Been Up To Page or on my other site, Zoological Mind!
If you are seeking a new hobby, something to do on your downtime, or if you are seeking a new adventure and want to help make discoveries and aid in research projects, you can visit Zooniverse and start checking out the available projects at Zooniverse.org!
Today, April 17th, 2024 is International Bat Appreciation Day!
Bats are not often recognized as cute and cuddly creatures, but bats are one of the most important little creatures that not only helps control the insect population but also helps pollinate the flowers helping keep the circle of life moving!
You can learn all about bats, how you can help them, and watch them live at Explore.org! Visit the links below to check out Explore’s live bat cams!
Well, it is time to share that we were able to donate to the International Wolf Center for my Birthday that was towards the end of January! It is a little late, but other things in life had to be taken care of first!
So, I know I talked a bit about the International Wolf Center in my Bats, Cats, & Wolves post, but I am also sharing here for those who might’ve missed it!
With my donation, I have also been granted membership and so I am excited to learn more about the work that IWC Does for wolf conservation and for the wolves in their care!
INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER
Image above is a snap from the International Wolf Center Website Front Page
This January, my husband and I will be making a donation to International Wolf Center.
International Wolf Center is located in Ely, Minnesota, USA and was established in 1993. Their focus is on advancing the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future. (Shared from their website.)
You can read a bit about their mission, purpose, and history from the image below, which was shared from their website! You can find them at https://wolf.org! Not only does International Wolf Center educate about wolves, they also have a resident pack that resides in their care!
Ways to get involved with International Wolf Center
International Wolf Center has multiple ways to support their mission! One of them is to become a member! Membership comes with exclusive benefits and your membership donation goes towards the care of the wolves in their care and helps them continue their mission! You can learn more about becoming a member at https://wolf.org/support/membership/.
International Wolf Center takes monetary donations directly on their website as well and as an added bonus, donating also makes you a member where you will receive those exclusive membership benefits mentioned above! Visit their donation page at https://wolf.org/support/donate/!
If you love wolves and stuff with wolves on them, you can also check out their shop where they have lots of different wolf items to choose from! https://shop.wolf.org
International Wolf Center also has a Wishlist, Auctions, Sponsorship options and more, all on their website! You can even apply to volunteer!
If you work with animals or have an organization you want to recommend that is seeking assistance or that does good work and deserves recognition, feel free to reach out! I am always looking for places to support, whether by donating or by sharing their mission!
In my previous post, I talked about my new goals and plans for donating to animals throughout the year. For those who missed that post, here is what I mentioned! If you read it, you can skip down!
My birthday is coming up, on January 27th, and I have decided to start donating each year on my birthday to an animal organization, rescue, shelter, rehabilitation, or conservation effort. For Christmas, my husband and I donated to the Lubee Bat Conservancy in Gainesville, Florida and to the Kitten Rescue in Los Angeles, California. For my birthday, we will be donating to the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota.
I have spent half of my life working with animals in some way. As a job, as a volunteer, in research, wellness, training, the list goes on. For those who have followed me, you know that I enjoy writing about animals and their conservation or care. This will of course continue, but now that my husband and I have a better ability to donate, we will be doing so on a regular basis, whether monetarily, with handmade items like crocheted blankets, or with physical items like food and supplies. Each time we do, I will be sharing the process. Who we donated to and who they are as an organization and what they do for animals, as well as what you can do to get involved.
I am super excited to be able to add this to our journey and to share it with you!
Since this is my first post, I will be including the two organizations we donated to at Christmas time 2023 as well as the one we will be donating to for my birthday this month!
LUBEE BAT CONSERVANCY
Image above is a snap from the Lubee Website Front Page
In December 2023, just after Christmas, my husband and I were able to donate to Lubee Bat Conservancy.
Lubee Bat Conservancy is located in Gainesville, FL, USA and was established in 1989. Their focus is on the conservation and education of bats!
Their mission is to save bats and their habitats through conservation, education, and awareness! You can read a bit about their mission, purpose, and history from the image below, which was shared from their website! You can find them at https://www.lubee.org! Not only do they educate about bats and their conservation, they also have several resident bats within their care!
Ways to get involved with Lubee Bat Conservancy
Lubee takes monetary donations directly on their website as well as gift donations of items on their Wishlist! Checkout their donation page at https://www.lubee.org/donate!
Image above is a snap from the Kitten Rescue Website Front Page
In December 2023, just after Christmas, my husband and I were able to donate to Kitten Rescue.
Kitten Rescue is located in Los Angeles, California, USA and was established in 1997. Their focus is on finding loving homes for unwanted, homeless cats and kittens. (Shared from their website.)
You can read a bit about their mission, purpose, and history from the image below, which was shared from their website! You can find them at https://kittenrescue.org! Not only does Kitten Rescue take in and find homes for cats and kittens, they also have a handful of resident cats that will remain in their care for the remainder of their lives!
Ways to get involved with Kitten Rescue
Kitten rescue has cats and kittens always coming and going from their rescue. If you are seeking a new furry family member, you can learn more about their adoption process at https://kittenrescue.org/adopt/.
Kitten Rescue takes monetary donations directly on their website as well as gift donations of items on their Wishlist! Checkout their donation page at https://kittenrescue.org/donate/!
Image above is a snap from the International Wolf Center Website Front Page
This January, my husband and I will be making a donation to International Wolf Center.
International Wolf Center is located in Ely, Minnesota, USA and was established in 1993. Their focus is on advancing the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future. (Shared from their website.)
You can read a bit about their mission, purpose, and history from the image below, which was shared from their website! You can find them at https://wolf.org! Not only does International Wolf Center educate about wolves, they also have a resident pack that resides in their care!
Ways to get involved with International Wolf Center
International Wolf Center has multiple ways to support their mission! One of them is to become a member! Membership comes with exclusive benefits and your membership donation goes towards the care of the wolves in their care and helps them continue their mission! You can learn more about becoming a member at https://wolf.org/support/membership/.
International Wolf Center takes monetary donations directly on their website as well and as an added bonus, donating also makes you a member where you will receive those exclusive membership benefits mentioned above! Visit their donation page at https://wolf.org/support/donate/!
If you love wolves and stuff with wolves on them, you can also check out their shop where they have lots of different wolf items to choose from! https://shop.wolf.org
International Wolf Center also has a Wishlist, Auctions, Sponsorship options and more, all on their website! You can even apply to volunteer!
If you work with animals or have an organization you want to recommend that is seeking assistance or that does good work and deserves recognition, feel free to reach out! I am always looking for places to support, whether by donating or by sharing their mission!
Komodo dragons might be one of the closest depictions that we have of dragons. They are the largest lizards in the world reaching up to 10 feet in length and reside in the Indonesian islands of the Sunda group.
On average the komodo dragon weighs around 150lbs, though the largest dragon on record is listed at 366lbs.
They live primarily within the forests of the islands but have been known to travel throughout all of the island terrains.
Their diet consists of meat and carcasses and will range from the smallest of island creatures, like rodents, to the largest, like water buffalo. They can go weeks without food and stay motionless in one spot for extended periods of time while they wait for unsuspecting animals to cross their path. Komodo dragons often stalk or ambush their prey and when in range will strike a bite that will prove to be fatal over time. They rely heavily on the bacteria in their mouths, roughly 60 strains, and variations, to eventually kill their victim. Though Komodo dragons are territorial and can even be cannibalistic, larger meals may be shared amongst many dragons.
Though during the night, komodo dragons are almost blind, during the day they have great vision with the ability to see items as far away as 300 meters. Even better, they have a snake-like forked tongue that can detect prey for up to 4 miles, making their sense of smell a powerful tool for hunting.
Also known as the Ora or Land Crocodile, the Komodo Dragon is a creature of strength, power, and determination.
A baby Komodo Dragon only months old, located at the Denver Zoo, Colorado.
Serr.Kai • A Quill & Ink 