People were deep in mourning today over the second baby dugong to die in the care of marine caretakers this week.
People were eulogizing the death of Jamil last night at a research center in Phuket, which came five days Mariam, another orphaned dugong who had become a beloved national sensation, died under similar circumstances.
“Mariam, you lovely maiden of the sea and Jamil, you handsome prince of the ocean, please take good care of each other in heaven,” user Hey_iamtarn tweeted last night.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha meets Jamil last month in Phuket. Photo: ThaiGov
Marine biologists apologized for losing him, saying he died after undergoing a procedure to remove seagrass clogging his digestive system.
“When Jami went into shock, his heart stopped beating. Though a team of doctors rushed to give him CPR, they were unable to revive him and little Jamil left us peacefully at 9.43pm,” the marine department wrote on its Facebook page last night.
Jamil was weak, exhausted and wounded in July when he washed ashore in Krabi. He was about 3 months old at the time.
Mariam, who was rescued back in April in the waters of southern Thailand, died Saturday of heart failure complicated by an infection caused by plastic debris in her stomach
The department thanked those who cared for the two dugongs during the last several months and vowed to do their best to protect and care for the nation’s sea life.
Mariam’s death prompted officials this week to declare plans to increase awareness, and more relevantly, protected areas for the animals, which were once plentiful in numbers but have fallen to an estimated 250.
On social media, the goodwill generated by the gentle sea creatures plight, drew many condolences.
“The world will remember that you are the happiness that heaven created for us,” Jane_nps tweeted earlier Friday along with a graphic of the two dugongs cuddling in the sky.
