Before we get to part two of "World's Scariest Animals", I thought I would touch on an issue that has been brewing over the last couple of months: manatee recovery.

According to an article in the Associated Pres, the manatee may no longer be classified as an "endangered" animal.

"The US Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) says it's considering changing the classification to 'threatened'. An internal memo obtained by the Washington Post says Florida manatees are showing positive growth and adult survival rates, and no longer meet the definition of an endangered species."

"The animals would still remain protected under the federal Endangered Species Act, making it illegal to harass, poach or kill them," they reported.

                                   
                        Manatees, also known as "sea cows" in some areas are a gentle, mysterious species.   
                                                          Photo courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Service officials say, "No one knows exactly how many manatees there are now or how many there were at any time in history. The Florida manatee population is divided into four sub-populations: the Upper St. Johns River (4% of the population); Atlantic Coast (46%); Southwest Florida (38%); and Northwest Florida (12%)."

"Based on published data for the survival rates, reproduction, and population growth, the Upper St. Johns River and Northwest Florida sub-populations are growing rapidly and doing very well. The Atlantic Coast sub-population is probably stable."

I find it absurd to downgrade an animal from endangered to threatened if there is no population estimate as Service officials admit. The bald eagle was recently downgraded to threatened and there are fair to good population estimates and an obvious recovery of our national symbol.

Manatees face a much different situation and until a legitimate population estimate can be obtained the species should stay on the endangered list.