DEATH OF BELOVED BABY DUGONG ADDS TO OUTCRY OVER PLASTIC POLLUTION
▶ Marium’s demise resonated in the UAE, home to the second-largest population of the shy sea mammals
Marine conservationists decried the death of a baby dugong found with a stomach filled with plastic, telling of the need to turn the tide against single-use items.
Experts said the fate of the orphaned creature, affectionately named Marium by her rescuers in Thailand, is being repeated across the globe.
A post-mortem examination of Marium’s carcass revealed plastic debris in her intestine, including one piece measuring 20 centimetres.
She died as a result of shock, inflammation and a build-up of pus in her stomach, according to the vets who treated her.
“All too often, we are hearing of marine animals and birds dying from the ingestion of plastic debris,” said Natalie Banks, from the marine conservation group Azraq.
“This should cause us all a great deal of alarm, owing to concerns about how plastics are affecting the health of humans and animals.”
The dugong became a hit in Thailand after images of biologists embracing and feeding her with milk and seagrass went viral on social media.
Her death has put the spotlight on the immediate need to reduce plastic pollution, globally and locally.
“During our activities in the UAE, we have come across dead seabirds and marine life,” Ms Banks said.
“We have seen first hand how plastic pollution is impacting the health of our marine environment, particularly abandoned fishing lines and nets.”
Creatures on land are also suffering, she said.
“We have seen similar cases with terrestrial animals, such as camels that live in the deserts of the UAE,” Ms Banks said.
Dugongs are listed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. There are about 100,000 dugongs around the world, including 3,000 in UAE waters.
One of the main causes of their endangered status is the loss of seagrass habitat caused by coastal development or water pollution. It has led to problems with breeding and caused dugongs to become victims of bycatch, the accidental entanglement in fishing nets.
Referred to as sea cows, the unusual- looking mammals have been protected under UAE law since 1999.
Winston Cowie, marine policy manager at the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, said Marium’s death had touched professionals in marine conservation.
“The news really resonated with the agency because the UAE has the second- largest population of dugongs, behind Australia,” he said.
“Every time you hear news like this, whether it involves a whale, turtle or any kind of wildlife, it is shocking but incredibly motivating.
“We need to start moving now to prevent further harm to our land and oceans.”
Conducting monitoring work on dugongs over the past 15 years, EAD has carried out aerial surveys and interacted closely with the famously shy mammals.
“When there is any pressure or threat on dugongs, like illegal use of fishing nets, our agency has responded with the community by launching initiatives like beach clean-ups to clear plastic pollution that puts wildlife at risk,” he said.
To reduce the effects of plastic pollution, conservation organisations urged people to refuse to take single-use plastics.
“Single-use plastics make up the majority of debris we find during beach clean-ups,” Ms Banks said.
If marine conditions continue to worsen, it could lead to the eventual extinction of the dugong.
Mr Cowie said the knock-on effects of this could be disastrous to ocean life.
“It could lead to a whole ecosystem shift,” he said.
With a diet that depends on seagrass meadows, dugongs boost seagrass growth by fertilising the seabed with their dung. Like coral reefs and mangrove forests, seagrass meadows are a vital part of coastal marine ecosystems.
They provide habitat and breeding grounds for fish and shellfish, improve water quality and protect coasts from the effects of storms, a report from the United Nations Environment Programme found.
Alarmingly, 29 per cent of the world’s seagrass has already disappeared.
“If seagrass meadows disappear,” Mr Cowie said, “so do other marine species.”
When there is any pressure or threat on dugongs ... our agency has responded with the community by launching initiatives WINSTON COWIE Environment Agency Abu Dhabi