Look at that punim

My high school friend had a shirt that said "save the manatees."

I didn't really get the allure. They're cute, but so are a lot of animals. Why would the manatee receive special attention?

After a visit to the Manatee Rescue Center outside of Iquitos, I now understand why.

They are extremely cute and have very funny mouths. Very funny mouths.

Most people don't get to see the workings of a manatee mouth up close and personal. But when the manatee eats banana slices out of your hand, you see it open its mandible to take in the sweet fruit.

When the manatee opens its mouth, it looks like it has claw-like contraptions projecting from the sides of its mouth, which it uses to direct the food toward its teeth. Unlike other claw representations made popular by crabs and lobsters, these ones are fuzzy with whiskers, seemingly cute, and won't pinch your nose..

I had never seen anything like it before.

Speaking of seeing, I can't let the manatee description go without talking about their eyes, which look like those beady eyes that you glue onto arts and crafts projects.

We spent twenty minutes massaging the manatees’ rubbery, seal-like backs and feeding them.

All the while, one of the center's employees shed more light onto this incredible species and the work of the rehab center.

Manatees are a prized commodity on the black market. In addition, habitat destruction in the Amazon basin is also putting their ecosystem at risk. These factors combine to make the Amazonian manatees, the world's only freshwater variety, endangered.

The Dallas Aquarium teamed up with the Peruvian Amazonian Investigation Institute to create refuge to rescue and rehabilitate baby manatees. Since opening, it has released eight manatees back into the wild.

Listening to this guide explain the dangers that these seemingly cheerful animals faced was rather sobering but served as another reminders of the complex factors shaping the crises these and other animals face in this part of the world.

And is a reason that my friend had that t-shirt in high school.

Logistics:

The center is located ten minutes outside of town, on the road to Quistococha.

To get there, take any bus labeled Quistococha and ask the driver to let you off at manatees. The ride will cost 1 sol.

Best of all, entrance to the center is free.

A few minutes down the road from the manatee center is the Quistococha Zoo where visitors can see jaguars, pumas, caymans, monkeys, a dolphin, capibaras, otters, and many other Amazonian creatures. The entrance fee is 3 soles per person. There is a lake at the zoon with beaches, soccer fields, and restaurants.

A visit to the manatee center and zoo are a great way to fill a half day in Iquitos.