Residents in the Krabi district of Nuea Klong have found a headless dugong washed up on a local beach, according to a Phuket Express report. The report states that the village headman, Yongyut Fangkhwa, was notified of the finding and visited the scene at Baan Lang Koh Beach.
Yongyut says the dugong was around 2 metres in length and weighed around 100 kilos. He believes it got caught in a fishing net, before being decapitated. However, he adds that there is the possibility someone deliberately cut its head off in an attempt to get its fangs, which are considered holy and precious by some.
In Thailand, dugongs are mainly reported in the Andaman Sea, where it’s believed there are only 200.
PHOTO: Wikimedia
The headman goes on to say that if this was a deliberate act of cruelty, it was not done by local people. He says local villagers and fishermen alike know that the dugong is protected and must be preserved, along with its food, sea grass, and the ocean.
Yongyut has filed a report with local police and informed the Marine Endangered Animal Research Centre in the neighbouring province of Trang. It’s understood staff from the centre travelled to the area to retrieve the dugong yesterday.
SOURCE: The Phuket Express
