For more than two decades, scientists Lucy Keith-Diagne Ph. D. and Tomas Diagne have been working to study manatees and turtles and advocate for their protection. During the last 11 years, Lucy has focused her research on the African manatee, which is one of the least understood marine mammals of the world and is often referred to as the “forgotten sirenian.” Lucy speaks about her efforts to determine the African manatee's population across West and Central Africa. She also has tried to better understand their diet, and she is aiming to lead the first assessments of manatee threats. She describes her search for solutions across the species’ range. Tomas Diagne researches threats to sea turtles in Senegal’s coastal waters, which are a migratory hub for five species of sea turtles. In recent years, Tomas has documented a troubling number of dead sea turtles washing up on Senegal’s beaches. Tomas shares how in addition to assessing this disturbing trend, he is trying to use the data to advocate for the reduction of sea turtle bycatch in Senegalese fisheries. He also speaks about his work with sea turtle geneticists to understand from which populations the stranded turtles are coming. Hear Lucy and Tomas share the challenges and successes they have experienced while working to study and protect these iconic and threatened species.