A dugong was found dead on a Bali beach last week, becoming the latest of the species to wash up on the island.
The marine mammal was suspected to have died from chemical contamination.
“[We] received a report that a dugong was found dead on Watu Jimbar Beach in Sanur Village around 10 am local time,” said Denpasar Coastal and Sea Resources Agency (BPSPL) Chief Permana Yudiarso, who confirmed that the dugong was found dead on the shore on Tuesday.
The ill-fated dugong was buried nearby by BPSPL and locals. Authorities did not carry out a necropsy as the 2.5 meter-long female had been decomposing when it was found.
Authorities suggested that the dugong was a nursing mother right before her death, but they found no signs of the calf. Dugong calves are known to drink milk from their mothers until they are about two years old.
While the cause of the mommy dugong’s death remains unknown, Yudiarso reckoned that she had suffered from food poisoning after eating seagrass (their staple diet) that was contaminated by toxic waste.
In 2019, a dugong was also found dead on the northern coast of Bali. Chemicals were found inside the carcass, according to Yudiarso.
There is a small number of dugongs that live around Sanur, Tanjung Benoa, and Nusa Dua. Yudiarso said that a number of chemical wastes from domestic, tourism-related, or agricultural sources that are dumped in that area have contaminated seagrass in the waters.
Dugongs are a protected species under Indonesian law.
