Reports of a dugong sighting off Phuket are generating excitement among marine conservationists, with a search operation still underway.
The rare marine animal was spotted off Rawai Beach and conservationists have expressed concerns over the threat the current marine environment poses for the creature. Boat operators are being urged to take care after the single adult dugong was seen swimming near the Rawai Landing Pier.
A search operation is still being carried out in the area, involving officials from Rawai Municipality and the Marine and Coastal Resources Research Centre. Some fisherman are even saying there could be up to 9 dugongs in the area.
Footage of the sighting shows an adult dugong, between 1.5 and 1.8 metres in length.
According to the research centre director, there has never been a dugong sighting near Rawai Beach before. Kongkiat Kittiwatthanawong believes the creature may have been drawn to the area by the seagrass growing in small patches underwater. However, as there is not much seagrass in the area, Kongkiat says it’s unlikely to stick around for long.
Posting on Facenbook, the director says he believes the dugong may have come from the Trang area in search of food as there is a shortage of seagrass in that area, with the dugong population, which is native to Trang, falling as a result.
One social media user has commented that the shallow waters close to Rawai Beach used to be home to a large variety of seaweed and seagrass. However, the seagrass has been nearly totally decimated as a result of unregulated harvesting, combined with the construction of piers along the beach.
Dugongs face a multitude of threats outside of their familiar environments, with many becoming caught up in fishing nets in recent months and others injured or killed by boat propellors.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
