Posted on February, 19 2007

A stranded dugong has been saved thanks to the quick thinking by a 15-year-old school boy.

Mark Florende, from the central Filippino province of Palawan, was in the water when he noticed something huge floating nearby.

“I recognized it immediately as a dugong from a local poster,” he said. “It looked like it was stranded by the unusually low tide.”

Florende immediately reported the stranding to his grandfather who then alerted the authorities, including a local office of WWF-Philippines. A rescue team comprised of local volunteers and WWF staff was immediately dispatched.

After ensuring the dugong — a female measuring 1.8m in length and weighing 200kg — was not injured, the team gently hoisted a rope around her midriff and towed her to the safety of deeper water. After a few tense moments, she slowly swam off and disappeared into the turquoise waters of the Sulu Sea.

Through the combined efforts of WWF and local government, coastal communities in the Philippines are becoming more aware of the endangered status of many marine species, including the threatened dugong.
“Our education campaigns have so far proven to be succesful,” said Sheila Albasin, manager of the Roxas-based Population, Health and Environment office of WWF-Philippines. “Rest assured that more people will be on guard to save our stranded animals.”

Once found throughout the tropical South Pacific and Indian oceans, dugong numbers have been significantly reduced as a result of habitat loss and hunting. Due to their shallow water feeding habits, they are also frequently injured or killed by collisions with motor vessels.

For further information:
Gregg Yan, Media Officer
WWF-Philippines
Tel: 920-7923/26/31
Email: gyan@wwf.org.ph