That Time a Manatee Took a Commercial Plane to San Francisco
Affectionately named "Butterball," the Amazonian manatee called San Francisco home for over 15 years until his untimely death caused by a rare fish disease.
Manatees are enigmatic, majestic, lovingly lethargic creatures. They exist in both ancient and modern-day folklore — Mother Nature’s own “mermaids,” if you will. In fact, sea cows, which became extinct sometime in the 18th century (less than 30 years after they were first discovered by Arctic explorers) were considered “sirens” by settlers and marine scouts. Alas, the current state of the planet's manatees remains bleak. All three extant species of manatees are considered at risk of extinction; the only remaining species of dugong left on Earth is also considered vulnerable to extinction. And with the climate crisis heating th...
