Deaths of Thai dugongs ring alarm bells in govt

Varawut said urgent action was needed after the discovery of a dugong carcass on a beach in Trang province on Sunday.

The animal is thought to have been killed by a stingray, as a barb was found imbedded in its skin.

Varawut said it was the second dugong found dead within a few days, the other having been pregnant. He said was concerned about Thailand’s population of dugongs, which is thought to number less than 250.

The minister ordered Sophon Thongdee, director-general of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department, to find ways of conserving the population and lowering the death toll.

An existing conservation project aims to boost the number of dugongs in Thai seas to 280 by the year 2022.