Thailand: Phuket sea cow ‘decapitated for teeth’

PHUKET: Experts at the Phuket Marine Biological Centre (PMBC) believe that a sea cow off the east coast of the island was decapitated for its teeth, which are revered by some as omens of good luck.
Darawan Naknakhon Phuket News 4 Nov 15;

The headless remains of the sea mammal was found washed up at a beach on Koh Yao Yai, an island little more than 10km off Phuket’s east coast, yesterday evening (Nov 3).

“Villagers reported the discovery to us at 8pm, and we dispatched a team to recover the body today so would could inspect it,” said PMBC Director Dr Kongkiet Kittiwattanwong.

Dr Kongkiet and PMBC veterinarian Phatcharaporn Kaeomong examined the headless cadaver after it was brought to the centre at Ao Makham.

The sea cow, technically a dugong, was a three-metre long male weighing about 330 kilogrammes.

“It was more than 40 years old,” noted Dr Kongkiet.

“After examining the remains, we can confirm that the sea cow had its head cut off after it had died,” he said.

“We also found deep bruising from its left side to its back and that a 50cm section of its spine had been broken, as if the animal had suffered a very strong blow by a blunt object.

“We believe that this was most likely caused by a boat,” Dr Kongkiet said.

The severe trauma to the dugong’s back is what led Dr Kongkiet and his contemporaries at the PMBC to believe the dugong’s head was chopped off by opportunists.

“We suspect that people who found the dugong’s body cut the head off so they could keep the teeth, which have been known to be used as good luck charms,” said Dr Kongkiet.

“However, we have notified the police on Koh Yao to keep an eye out for any persons who may have been involved in this, and to keep an eye out for the teeth,” he added.


Body of Dismembered Dugong Found Floating Off Phuket
Prasit Tarnsirisin Phuketwan 4 Nov 15;

PHUKET: The body of a headless dugong was found floating off Phuket yesterday. Marine biologists fear the harmless creature may have been dismembered so its teeth could be used in amulets.

The body of the male dugong, more than 40 years old and weighing as much as 350 kilos before its head was removed, was found floating between Ko Yao Yai and Ko Yao Noi islands.

"There are probably only about 10 of this endangered species still in the Andaman zone," said Dr Kongkiat Kittwattana, head of the Rare Marine Species, Marine Division, at the Phuket Marine Biological Centre on Cape Panwa.

A team at the centre on Phuket's east coast was examining the dugong's remains today.

Their conclusion is that marks on the body indicated the animal may have been pulled on board a trawler or some other boat where it was probably beheaded.

"The teeth of this remarkable animal unfortunately are believed to have some protective properties and are a valuable commodity for amulets,"' Dr Kongkiat said.

Sea grass beds that are the dugongs' food have been polluted by coastal resort construction and the animals have been put at risk by an increasing number of tourist boats and their propellors.

The animal found floating yesterday was probably two metres long and aged at least 40, Dr Kongkiat said.

The skeleton of the creature is likely to be kept for future education.

A dead male dolphin pulled from the sea off Rawai and measuring close to two metres in length will have an autopsy performed on Friday at the marine biological centre.

Dr Kongkiat said it was usually the case that bottlenose dolphins died from illness while dugongs usually were killed by fishermen.