If you like to plan early for holiday shopping season, Save the Manatee Club wants to let you know you have the option to adopt a real Florida manatee for family and friends. 

More than 30 manatees are available for adoption and can be viewed at savethemanatee.org/adopt.

Save the Manatee Club, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, was co-founded in 1981 by singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett and Bob Graham, former Florida governor and U.S. senator. Funds from the holiday-gift adoptions help the club increase public awareness and education; sponsor research, rescue, rehabilitation and release efforts; advocate for strong protection measures, such as boat-speed zones and sanctuaries; and take legal action when appropriate. In addition, funds help support manatee rescue, rehabilitation, research and education efforts in the wider Caribbean, Central and South America, and West Africa.