Viral dugong sighting stuns Phuket

A video of a rare dugong swimming near the bustling Rawai Bridge in Phuket has taken social media by storm, sparking calls for immediate action from local officials. The 41-second clip, posted on the Phuket Info Centre’s Facebook page, shows the elusive sea creature gracefully navigating the waters of Rawai Beach, a popular tourist destination.

Filmed yesterday morning, August 20, the video quickly gained traction online, prompting the Deputy Mayor of Rawai subdistrict Nikorn Papakityotsaphat, to visit the site. He confirmed that the dugong, an adult, was likely foraging for food in the area.

“The sighting of this dugong points to the abundance of seagrass in the Rawai area, which attracts these sea mammals.”

Nikorn urged boat operators to exercise caution when passing through the area to protect the animals.

Marine biologist Kongkiat Kittiwatanawong offered further insights, suggesting the dugong may have migrated from the Andaman Sea near Trang province. He shared an old satellite image of Rawai Beach on Facebook.

“This photo was taken four years ago above Rawai Bridge. It only had patches of seagrass, and there was no sign of dugongs back then.”

Kongkiat explained that seagrass depletion in Trang could be driving dugongs to explore new habitats. He revealed that recent data indicates up to nine dugongs might be frequenting Rawai Beach, although their stay may be temporary due to insufficient seagrass to sustain a larger herd, reported The Nation.

In related news, a young dugong calf, found alone near Koh Poda in Krabi, has been transferred to a nursery in Trang for care and medical attention. Tourists discovered the calf and promptly notified officials from the Andaman Sea Lower Marine and Coastal Resources Research Centre. Pinsak Suraswadi, Director-General of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, confirmed the incident and detailed the subsequent actions taken.

In other news, in a tragic event marking the fourth dugong death caused by fishing equipment this year, a female dugong was discovered dead on June 24, entangled in a crab fishing net off Ao Nang Beach, in Krabi province.