Marine biologists have welcomed the Tamil Nadu government’s recent decision to go ahead with the establishment of a conservation reserve for the elusive dugong (Dugong dugon).
About
About the species
Dugong (Dugong dugon) is a sirenian species native to parts of the Indian littoral.
Dugongs are cousins of manatees and share a similar plump appearance, but have a dolphin fluke-like tail.
And unlike manatees, which use freshwater areas, the dugong is strictly a marine mammal.
Commonly known as "sea cows," dugongs graze peacefully on sea grasses in shallow coastal waters of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.
Dugongs as a Schedule I animal under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Declining population: The dugongs are on the verge of extinction.
In the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, their population is less than 100.
There are very few left in the Gulf of Mannar.
In the Gulf of Kutch, there are very few sporadic records.
They were present in Lakshadweep but now are locally extinct.
The plan
The plan included to set up a dugong conservation reserve in the Gulf of Mannar, Palk Bay between India and Sri Lanka, for the conservation of the animals.