TAMPA, Fla. – A Florida zoo is petitioning for the creation of a manatee emoji in hopes that it will raise awareness for the formerly endangered sea mammal.
Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo started the petition on Change.org and so far it has more than 1,000 signatures. The zoo hopes to get 25,000 signatures and then deliver it to Unicode Consortium, the group in charge of the universal coding for emojis.
"In honor of Manatee Awareness Month, Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo wants to raise awareness about an iconic Florida species, by advocating for the first-ever manatee emoji," the petition reads. "Why do manatees deserve an emoji? Not only are they adored mammals, they are also threatened. Elephants, tigers and penguins all have emojis, so why not manatees? By creating an emoji, we are making it easier for people to think about and share their love for these gentle giants."
You can click here to sign the petition at Change.org.