Dugong: Once believed to be a mermaid now an endangered species

Dugongs or sea cows are in trouble. Their members are few and declining, hence, they have been classified as endangered.

Aware of this, the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR) through its Parks and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) launched what it calls the Pawikan Conservation Project (PCP) to lead in the management and conservation of pawikans or marine turtles and dugongs.

PCP’s immediate problem is poaching.

Dugongs are marine animals that can grow to about three meters in length and weigh as much as 400 kilograms. They are the only marine mammals that live mainly on plants. The name sea cow refers to the fact that they graze on the seagrasses.

Dugongs are more closely related to elephants than to other marine mammals like dolphins and whales. Their closest living relations are the manatees, the aquatic mammals that live in freshwater rivers and coastal waters of West Africa, the Caribbean and South America.

Dugongs swim by using their whale-like fluked tail. They use their front flippers for balance and turning. They often move slowly and gracefully. Some said that early explorers and sailors believed them to be mermaids as their bodies are streamlined and they have large teats at the base of their flippers.

Dugongs have a long life span. They can live for about 70 years. Their breeding is very slow. Females do not usually have their youngs until they are about 10 to 17 years old. Pregnancy lasts about 13 months with only one calf at a time. The calf can stay with its mother for 18 months, suckling on the mother’s teats. Female dugongs usually breed again after three years.

Dugongs face a number of threats. The most serious ones come from our coastal communities that enjoy eating their meat, unmindful of the calls for the conservation of their endangered mammals. Other factors include predators and diseases.

R.A. 9147, otherwise known as the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, approved on July 30, 2001, penalizes any person who willfully and knowingly exploits wildlife resources and their habitats. Strict implementation of this act will hopefully put an end to the illegal practice of catching and butchering dugongs.

On a micro-level, the PCP has been exerting efforts to save the dugongs from extinction. Immediately after a reported killing of dugong on April 24, the PCP dispatched a team to Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur to conduct investigations and hearing surveys on the sightings and distribution of dugongs and pawikans.

Among others, the PCP team recommended that Hinatuan Bay be monitored, considering that the area has been identified as habitat of endangered sea cows and marine turtles.

The team also recommended that the community and environment (CENR) office of Bislig conduct an intensive information and education campaign in other coastal areas of its jurisdiction.