Florida Man Arrested for Making His Kids Ride a Manatee Calf

Manatees are for looking, not touching. Even people who lack common sense should have learned that after Ana Gloria Garcia Gutierrez turned herself in for attempting to ride a manatee in the Tampa Bay area.Not everyone got the message. Ryan William Waterman, a 21-year-old Fort Pierce man, has been arrested after...

By Kyle Munzenrieder

February 18, 2013

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Manatees are for looking, not touching. Even people who lack common sense should have learned that after Ana Gloria Garcia Gutierrez turned herself in for attempting to ride a manatee in the Tampa Bay area.

Not everyone got the message. Ryan William Waterman, a 21-year-old Fort Pierce man, has been arrested after posting online pictures of his two young children riding a manatee calf.

During a trip to Taylor Creek, Waterman and his two daughters encountered the manatee calf. Waterman then posted pictures of the manatee harassment on Facebook.

In one photo, one of his young daughters is straddling the baby manatee while the other touches it. In another, Waterman himself is shown lifting the manatee out of the water.

Apparently someone who saw the pictures contacted authorities. According to the Palm Beach Post, Waterman has now been arrested for violating the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act.

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