Companion Animal Memorial Thread

For Rosie- a manatee who was living in captivity since 1968.

The Save The Manatee Club has a sort of "adoption program" whereby members can make a contribution in honor of one of the individual manatees known to researchers who study them. Rosie was a large female who was captured back in 1968. Two other manatees were later released, but Rosie tended to swim in circles, so she was considered unable to fend for herself. She had a big appetite and a big heart, often keeping company with injured or ill wild manatees who had been brought to the Homosassa Springs refuge for treatment and care. She passed away this past December, apparently from old age.

I visited Florida back in the 1980s and knew about Rosie back then, later "adopting" her- but for some reason I didn't stop by at the park when I was in the area- I was hoping to see a manatee in the wild. (Approaching wild manatees is rightfully considered a form of harassment, as it can either disturb them or cause them to lose some of the wild behaviors necessary for their survival, so I wasn't going to try to swim with one.) Even though Rosie was ineligible for release anyhow, I don't think people were allowed to do meet-and-greets; visitors always got to view the manatees from a small distance away. Still, somehow I felt a connection. 1968 was a year of big changes for both of us, and she was a contemporary of almost all the animals closest to me, from Peasant (July 1963- ~March 1972) to Crystal (1995-2011).

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Rosie, at left, nuzzles another manatee's head.
 
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Today, we said goodbye to a dear friend, the last of my childhood pets, Mario. Mario began his days with the Carmacks 15 years ago, on a family trip to Florida. Within moments of meeting, he melted our hearts... a quality he continued to possess throughout his life with everyone he met. Sure he was clumsy and only landed on his feet SOME of the time, but he never knew any other concept than love, when it came to his interactions with people. He always knew how to trigger a laugh or a smile, and was a professional, very dedicated lap warmer. He adapted easily the past couple years, spending time in several households, in our determination to keep him in the family, when life threw curveballs our way. Whether you knew him as Turkey Legs, or Furrario, or Furry Murray, or The Ridiculous Fool, he is, always and forever, Mario. <3
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Today, we said goodbye to a dear friend, the last of my childhood pets, Mario. Mario began his days with the Carmacks 15 years ago, on a family trip to Florida. Within moments of meeting, he melted our hearts... a quality he continued to possess throughout his life with everyone he met. Sure he was clumsy and only landed on his feet SOME of the time, but he never knew any other concept than love, when it came to his interactions with people. He always knew how to trigger a laugh or a smile, and was a professional, very dedicated lap warmer. He adapted easily the past couple years, spending time in several households, in our determination to keep him in the family, when life threw curveballs our way. Whether you knew him as Turkey Legs, or Furrario, or Furry Murray, or The Ridiculous Fool, he is, always and forever, Mario. <3
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Such a beautiful boy.xxx
 
I'm so sorry for your loss, GingerFoxx. What a sweet face. Big hugs to you.