Lament for the gentle dugong

As recently as five years ago, herds with as many as 100 dugong (Dugong dugon) were not uncommon sights wherever the sea was still unpolluted in the country.

But now, marine biologist Danilo Torres of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) said sightings of dugong, or sea cow, are now limited only to the coasts of Aurora, Palawan and Ilocos.

Torres fears that the herbivorous sea mammal is possibly nearing extinction because of superstition and careless disregard for the country’s marine resources.

Along with manatees found in estuaries in the southeastern seaboard of the United States and the West Indies, the dugong belongs to the Sirenia taxonomical order.

A dugong, which can reach eight feet in length, differs from a manatee in that it is smaller, has a tail resembling that of a whale, has fewer molar teeth and less deep cleft upper lips and has upper incisors which are altered into tusks in males.

Torres said the dugong is usually found in estuaries where it can eat its favorite sea grass and where it can be caught to be eaten by human beings, its most dangerous enemy.

"Dugong meat, which tastes like a combination of pork and beef, is a favorite delicacy among fishermen," Torres said.

Humans are not satisfied with dugong flesh and even covet the sea cow’s bones, which they turn into powder and boil in water.

"Its bones are believed to cure respiratory ailments," said Torres, who doubts the scientific basis of the folk belief.

It’s a miracle, Torres said, that people can still see dugong herds swimming in the few unpolluted rivers of the country and it is most likely a dire warning that such herds rarely number more than 20 dugong at a time.

"They are going into possible extinction," he said, adding that lip-service laws are not likely to change the sad outcome without stronger human intervention.

There is a wildlife protection law that imposes a one-year jail term and a P100,000 fine on anyone caught and convicted of killing a dugong.

But the law means little to many fishermen in remote areas who still continue to hunt sea cows to relish their meat and to make doubtful potions for lung illnesses, Torres said.

In a bid to protect the dugong, the administration of former President Corazon Aquino gave a dugong to Japanese scientists so they could study how to preserve the unique mammal.

Although the dugong does not thrive in captivity, Torres said the dugong given to the Japanese is still alive.