Dugong in danger of extinction

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Marine biologists discovered the Steller's sea cow in 1941. Since some of its genetic aspects were similar to those of a terrestrial animal, the Steller's sea cow was believed to have lived on land for 50 million years before it developed as an aquatic mammal for survival. It fed on seagrass. Only 27 years after the Steller's sea cow was discovered, the species became no more than a legend and its name remained only in the memory of those people who had been seen it. The extinction of the Steller's sea cow was confirmed in 1768 Similarly, the Manatee of the western coastal waters of Africa and the dugong of the Andaman Sea have been unable to escape the indiscriminate hunting by man, who kills the animals for food.

A survey found that only 60 dugongs are left in the waters of Thailand. They are usually found in the area off Hat Chao Mai National Park in the Southern province of Trang, but the ecological system in this area faces destruction because of water pollution.
One of the main reasons leading to the extinction of this species is that the breeding of dugong takes a long period. Both the male and the female dugong reach maturity, and thus are able to bread, when they are nine years old. The female gives birth to only one calf at a time, 13 months after mating.
Only one meter long at birth, the caft is nursed by its mother on one of its two pectoral teats while embracing the young with its flipper. The craf starts feeding on seagrass when it is less than three weeks old, but it is not weaned from its mother until it is 18 months old.
The dugong has on lifespan of 70 years. As breeding takes time, the dugongs in the waters of Thailand are facing extinction as they are killed before they can breed. Another major threat to their survival is water pollution which kills the seagrass that serve as their main food.
Dugongs feed on almost all kinds of seagrass available, but they prefer seagrass with solf leaves. The dugong uses its fore flippers as feet to walk through the seagrass and grazes with its large mouth which is like that of a cow. Crustaceans also serve as food for the animal.
Conservation of dugong is needed because they are part of the ecosystem and contribute to the fertility of the sea. The dugong's dung serves as a major food source for certain aquatic animals, thus increasing the volume of marine food available to man. The dugong's extinction, therefore, can affect the balance of the ecosystem and man's survival himself.
The future of the dugong lies in our hands. Its survival depends on human compassion; only the close cooperation of fishermen and their awareness of the importance of conservation can prolong the existence of this rare species.

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Information

: Dugong in danger of extinction, Tuangporn, KINNAREE Magazine, Thai Airways International, December 1993, P. 236-139.