You don’t want to see these guys gone, right? In the southern provinces of Thailand, a seahorse rehabilitation project has been initiated by the government to combat the rapidly dwindling population of seahorses.
Already used as an ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine, as well as material in souvenirs, the number of seahorses is becoming further decreased because the habitats they live in, from coral reefs to mangroves to sea grass, are being destroyed, reported Bangkok Post.
Measures are being taken by the government to solve this problem.
A breeding project has been set up in Hat Chao Mai National Park in Trang and Mu Ko Chang National Park in the province of Trat, said Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment permanent secretary, Kasemsan Jinnawaso.
This small sea animal has already been placed on the list of international list of endangered species and trading of seahorses is an urgent concern of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
The Fisheries Department banned the export of seahorses from Thailand last July.
According to them, before the ban, about a ton of seahorses were exported each year before that.
