Manatees and Monkeys, Oh My! By: River Staggs (Age: 13)

I went to the Silver Springs State Park in Silver Springs, Florida on Saturday. My family and I went kayaking in the park on the Silver River. I saw a manatee that had a piece of its tail missing. It was a very large manatee six or seven foot long and it had come up for air three times. The water was so clear, we could see all the details in the manatees back. There was a very large scratch on the manatees back, probably from a boater.

I also saw Rhesus Macaques monkeys that were in the original 1930 Tarzan movie, which was shot in Silver Springs, Florida. The monkeys were used as props in the movies. They came to be in the Silver Springs State Park when they were released there almost 100 years ago. The monkeys are now living wild on the island instead of living in their natural habitats located in Brazil and Cuba.