One dead Dugong (𝘋𝘶𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘶𝘨𝘰𝘯) was reported by Mr. Erwin G. Lagan of Sitio Caparre, Barangay Poblacion, municipality of Taytay, Palawan to the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS) District Management Division (DMD) – Calamian on March 1, 2021.
The Dugong has a length of 270 cms. (from its snout to the notch of fluke) and weighs approximately 300 Kg.
The attention of the PCSDS-DMD Calamian staff was called after reading the Facebook post of Mr. Lagan about the dead dugong that he had found in the rocky shoreline of Sitio Caparre in Taytay, Palawan at around 11:30 AM on March 1, 2021. The staff of PCSDS DMD-Calamian who is based in Taytay, together with the PCSDS- Wildlife Trafficking Monitoring officers, DENR-CENRO Taytay staff and Mr. Helbert Garay of C3 Philippines went to the area to verify the report.
Upon further inquiry, the joint team learned that the young people in the area first saw the lifeless dugong at around 7:30 AM on the same day and reported the incident to Mr. Lagan’s mother. Mr. Lagan, who is a correspondent of ABN media, a news outfit in Taytay, Palawan, in turn posted the sad news to Facebook which called the attention of the PCSDS.
The external wounds that the said mammal had suffered made the joint team believe that it was possibly caused by a bolo. The dugong’s sex organ was taken out of its body and its lower extremity had been scraped off. This made the joint team to become clueless with the intention of the culprit for the cruel killing of the dugong. Through the help of the residents in the area, the dugong’s carcass was buried in a beach area in Taytay, Palawan on the same day.
The Dugong is listed as “Critically Endangered species” under PCSD Resolution No. 15-521. If you happen to find or have rescued any wildlife, you can turn them over to our office so that we can properly take care of them. You can reach us through our hotline numbers 0935-116-2336 (Globe/TM) and 0948-937-2200 (Smart/TNT), or you can send your messages to us through our official Facebook page.
