Rescued baby seacow dies

MANILA, Philippines - The baby dugong or seacow rescued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Barangay Binulasan, Infanta, Quezon died Sunday at the rescue center of the Manila Ocean Park (MOP) in Manila.

Theresa Mundita Lim, director of Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB), said the death of the seacow named “Binu” was recorded at 7:18 p.m., and a necropsy was scheduled yesterday by experts from the BMB and MOP to determine the cause of death.

“The dugong was very young and should still be with its mother. We had expected that this would happen, but for the sake of conserving the species, we did not want to give up without trying. The challenge of replacing dugong mother’s milk with formula milk, providing care and attention that only a mother can provide, and the stress of being away from its family proved too difficult to overcome,” Lim explained.

Binu was found by two local fishermen in Barangay Binulasan last Jan. 9 at 5 a.m. It was kept in a pit dug by the locals along the beach, but due to strong waves and surge in the area, the baby dugong was transferred to the nearby Barangay Dahican. A makeshift pen was again made for its shelter until experts from the BMB decided to transfer the marine mammal to the marine rescue center of the MOP.

“The initial plan was to release him back to the water. However, when there was no indication of the presence of the mother dugong in the area, it was decided that it be brought to the marine rescue and rehabilitation center of the Manila Ocean Park,” Lim said.

The BMB, formerly the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau of the DENR, has an existing partnership with MOP on the use of MOP’s rescue and rehabilitation center for marine wildlife.

Prior to Binu’s death, Lim indicated that the rescued dugong had shown signs of recovery by gaining some 400 grams. Binu was only 18 kilos on his arrival at the rescue center and was 1.06 meters long.

But on Friday, Binu’s weight dropped to 18 kilos. While it consumed 410 ml of formula milk that day, it was observed that most of it had spilled out.

Starting Saturday, Binu was placed on forced feeding using a rubber tubing, gaining some 200 grams. The following day, the formula milk given to the young dugong was mixed with soya milk that resulted in an additional 400 grams increase when it was weighed that day. However, by around 3:30 p.m, Binu’s breathing became erratic.

An expert-volunteer from Japan, who was at the site, cradled Binu to assist him in breathing but the baby dugong still died.

Meanwhile, the 1.7-meter dolphin that was sent back to the sea after it strayed into the shoreline in Barangay Virgen Milagrosa in Badoc, Ilocos Norte last Saturday came back to the fishing village yesterday.

It was not known why the mammal returned.

While the villagers were willing to dispatch the dolphin back to where it came from after feeding it with small fishes last Saturday, the community is now having second thoughts about letting the dolphin off as it has become the village’s chief attraction.

Cornelio Dinong, barangay councilman, said that many people from different places have come to the village since the dolphin returned to the barangay. The villagers have placed the mammal in a cage for people to see.

Local fishery authorities have yet to go back to the village and decide whether to allow the villagers to keep the dolphin or bring it back to sea.