The Jakarta Post 27 May 18;
A fisherman named Safaruddin was about to go out to sea on Saturday when he reportedly found the body of a dugong on Garassi beach in Nepo village, Wonomulyo district, Polewali Mandar, West Sulawesi.
According to his account, there were wounds all over the protected animal’s 2.5-meter-long body. He alleged that the dugong was killed by poachers.
“It was already dead when I found it. This is the third time we have found a dugong body around here,” Safaruddin said as reported by kompas.com on Sunday.
When Polewali Mandar Water Police officers went to the scene to remove the dead creature, some local residents had reportedly stolen it. They had reportedly cut the body into pieces and planned to sell it on Battoa island.
However, the police thwarted their attempt, arrested the culprits and seized the dugong body as evidence.
Dugongs are listed as endangered in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). (vla)
