When this aggregation of Manatees showed up at the beach a couple days ago they drew a crowd. Most of the people were respectful and kept their distance but a few people were touching and chasing the Manatees around. The guy that almost got run over was one of the people that was being respectful and just standing back and watching. It's a shame it happened to him and not one of the people touching or chasing them.
The Manatees were mating and a bull (male manatee) chased a young cow (female manatee) straight towards one of the people standing around them. The Manatee was NOT being aggressive, singling the guy out, or protecting a calf.
For those that don't know, it's illegal to touch, feed, chase or otherwise harass Manatees. Even if they come up to you, you're supposed to always keep your hands to yourself.
