Dugongs face extinction in Thailand

[webfact]

Dugongs face extinction in Thailand
By PRATCH RUJIVANAROM
THE NATION

 

A team of veterinarians and officers try to install a tracking device on a dugong at Hat Chao Mai National Park in Trang in a file photo.

 

TRANG: -- DUGONGS IN Thailand’s waters face extinction unless their habitat and food sources are protected, according to a recent study.

 

One of the most gentle marine mammals, dugongs are facing a serious threat as recent research by the Marine and Coastal Resources Department showed that only about 200 of the animals live in Thai waters. The species has a low birth rate and approximately eight dugongs die every year.

 

Trang’s Had Chao Mai National Park chief Manoj Wongsureerat said that in order to save dugongs in Thai territory, a proper survey on the animals’ behaviour, habitat and feeding grounds was essential so authorities could designate a protected zone.

 

“In all Thai territory, Trang has the highest dugong population. In this province alone there are around 160 dugongs. However, of this number, about five die every year and at this death rate, the dugong population is in danger in the long term,” Manoj said.

 

“An in-depth study of dugongs is important, because right now we do not know much about their behaviour and habitat, and cannot precisely designate a safe zone for them.”

 

He said the national park was working with the National Science and Technology Development Agency on a dugong GPS tracking system, with three dugongs in Had Chao Mai National Park having already been fitted with tracking devices.

 

“This project is still in the initial phase and has to extend to the entire dugong population in Trang’s sea, so we can track them and understand their behaviour, which will lead to the creation of a safe haven,” he said.

 

However, the future of the project was uncertain because of budgetary issues, he said, urging authorities to provide funding for more tracking devices.

 

Dr Nantarika Chansue, director of the Sea Animal Diseases Control Centre at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Chulalongkorn University, said the most commonly identified causes of dugong deaths were fishing equipment and collisions with boats.

 

“Most of the dugong carcasses that we found were killed by becoming trapped in fishing equipment. This is because their habitat is also fishing grounds and a water-navigation route. Recently, a female dugong and her cub died from being trapped in a fishing net in Trang,” Nantarika said. 

 

She added that every death was a serious blow because dugongs’ fertility rate was so low.

 

“Dugongs are like elephants. The pregnancy period is very long and females also nurture cubs for a long time, so the birth rate is very low. Moreover, we still cannot breed dugongs in captivity,” she said.

 

“It is very important that we have a preservation zone for dugongs where fishing and navigation are limited, to save their lives.”

 

However, Nantarika, who recently gained nationwide acclaim for her efforts to help sea turtles, said the most important factor in safeguarding the population was to preserve fields of seagrass, which is the animal’s principal source of food.

 

“We have learned from the vanishing of dugongs along the eastern coast of the Gulf of Thailand. The vast industrialisation and the busy sea navigation destroyed seagrass fields in the region and caused the extinction of dugongs,” Nantarika said.

 

She gave the example of a bay in Rayong called Ao Phayoon, or “dugong bay”, where dugongs were wiped out long ago after seagrass fields were devastated, leaving only a barren, muddy seafloor. She said dugongs still existed along the Andaman coast because of the relatively abundant seagrass fields in the area.

 

Dugongs are listed as one of 19 protected wild animals in Thailand, according to the Wild Animal Reservation and Protection Act.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30314839

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-05-11

[yellowboat]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

“Dugongs are like elephants.

They are biologically related to elephants. 

[grumbleweed]

They're edible = they're screwed

[williamgeorgeallen]

the population has fallen to a point of not being viable. the only hope they have is if they could be farmed for profit. this looks unlikely with they low fertility rate.  in our progressing world there will be many animals that will become extinct unless they are commercially viable. the tiger and elephant are other examples.

[tagalong]

TRANG: -- DUGONGS IN Thailand’s waters face extinction unless their habitat and food sources are protected, according to a recent study.

 

So dose every other living animal.  Once they are all gone it will be a very dead world indeed.....

[kiwikeith]

Most deaths occur when they are run over by boats, then the sea grass is a major issue , hope they can sort it.

[jak2002003]

Poor things.  Can't see any hope for them in Thailand waters realistically. 

 

Protecting wildlife here is a very hard thing to do, as most Thai people see animals and nature as something to either kill and eat, or destroy for quick profit. 

 

Where I live there was a lot of forest and wildlife.  Now, only about 15 years later most is gone, trapped, shot, eaten, and the forest burnt and big trees cut down.  There was a colony of parakeets too... until the locals trapped them all to sell for pet birds.  Very depressing.  The laws are here, but as most laws in Thailand, they are not enforced.

 

Perhaps teaching the younger generation about the value and beauty of their wildlife, to make they proud of it and appreciate it, would be better solution in the long term, but I think that will be to late for these creatures.

 

 

[seajae]

unfortunately here in Thailand making money comes before the welfare of animals & if something can also be eaten being a protected species means nothing. While in other countries the govts make regulations that have to be followed with regards to netting etc to avoid the deaths here the fishermen simply ignore them if it means catching more fish, just look what happened when the tried to outlaw all the illegal fishing gear. The only way to protect them is to ban any sort of fishing in the areas they live in but it would never work as they would net them anyway, laws mean bugger all to these people as do the lives of protected species.

[Catkiwi]

4 hours ago, grumbleweed said:

They're edible = they're screwed

I'm afraid you are correct!

 

I did see some similar looking creatures in Nana Plaza last time I was there. They didn't look very edible and not sure if any were screwed...

[MyFriend You]

5 hours ago, grumbleweed said:

They're edible = they're screwed

Japanese and Chinese have special resturants for Dougong meat.

[DM07]

"...a proper survey on the animals’ behaviour, habitat and feeding grounds was essential..."

Right!

Because the species was just discovered yesterday and there is no data available, from other sources outside of Thailand, which may help!

[rickudon]

Also, unfortunately as a long lived animal failure to deal with pollution will cause problems for many years to come. In Europe, PCB's were phased out many years ago but persist in the marine environment. UK i think now has only one resident pod of killer whales left but their toxic chemical levels are so high that no young have probably been raised for over 20 years. Extinction of that pod is almost certain.