Sittichai Sikawat The Nation 18 Jun 17;
A badly injured and emancipated dugong was found in a bay in Krabi province on Sunday morning. Despite urgent medical care, the animal died on the way to a veterinary facility.
This dugong was about two metres long and estimated to be five years old.
Rachawadee Chandra, a veterinarian from the Marine and Coastal Resources Research and Development Centre of the Eastern Gulf of Thailand, said the dugong’s body showed bite wounds.
“We gave it an injection and loaded it into a boat in the hope of sending it to the centre’s base but it died on the way to the shore,” she said.
It is believed that the dugong might have fought with another male of the species in a mating contest and been injured. Its wound apparently had become infected, causing death.
A recent survey showed that there were between 10 and 12 dugongs in the sea off Krabi.
