Thailand’s blubbery-faced orphan sweetheart is about to get a new friend after an even younger baby dugong was rescued yesterday.
Krabi residents were walking along the beach in the Sai Khao district late in the afternoon when they came across an injured dugong lying in the sand. Though they tried carrying the roughly 30-kilogram sea cow back into the sea, waves kept sweeping the creature back to shore.
That’s when they notified the authorities, who placed the male dugong into the care of vets at the Phuket Marine Biological Center.
“Based on his length, he might be around 3 months old. He is quite weak and exhausted with wounds covering 50% of the body,” center director Kongkiat Kittiwatanawong wrote online yesterday night along with a picture of officials feeding the creature milk.
Kongkiat is also currently overseeing the care of baby Mariam, another dugong rescued from likely death last month after she became stranded in tidal waters elsewhere in Krabi. Marine officials believe she had lost her mother, leading her to latch on to boats in the area – a very dangerous proposition for an animal whose numbers have literally been cut down by propellers.
Kongkiat said the yet-unnamed dugong boy will be moved to Point Dugong, the conservation area on Koh Libong where Mariam is, when he gets a little older.
“Mariam will soon have little friend!” he captioned a video showing excited children running to see the rescued male dugong.
The new addition comes just in time to make must-see-TV out of the round-the-clock dugong channel the marine department plans to begin streaming soon in response to public interest. Instead of having one star, Mariam may now have to share the spotlight with the newcomer.
Related stories:
Mariam Cam: Thailand to stream orphaned baby dugong round the clock
Orphaned baby dugong becomes face of Thai sea conservation (Video)
Last dugong in Gulf of Thailand found dead
Protected sea cow drowned and killed by octopus trap
