Photos: Seub Nakasathain Foundation

Thailand: Last Dugong in Gulf of Thailand found dead
1st December 2016;

A male Dugong (Dugong dugon), believed to be the only remaning Dugong in the Gulf of Thailand, was found dead in the sea of Rayong province last week, according to today’s report.

The dead Dugong was found on Nov. 25, only two days after a dead Bryde’s Whale (Balaenoptera edeni) was found near the Lamchabang Pier in Chonburi.

The male Dugong was bruised and bloody along his body, indicating a collision before death, according to Marine and Coastal Resources Research and Development Center of the Eastern Gulf of Thailand.

The research center revealed that there were previously a couple of Dugongs living along the coast of Rayong to Chanthaburi. Last year, there was a rumor that one of them was dead and sold on the black market. Therefore, this means the dead Dugong found last week could have been the last one on the eastern coast.

Polluted oceans endanger their lives but Dugongs are also hunted for their bones, which are used to make amulets, just like Elephant ivory and Rhino horn.

Seub Nakasathain Foundation’s website reported that the Dugong was given code DU-391, which means that during the past 30 years, Thailand has lost 391 Dugongs.

There is some hope though, according to aquatic veterinarian Poommate Chomchat of the research center. Dugongs leave a unique trail by chewing through seagrass, their main source of food. Experts hope they will find out there are still Dugongs in the Thai sea by seeing patterns in the seagrass, Khaosod reported.

“We want to believe so,” he said.

Poommate hopes that there are living Dugongs in the central and southern parts of the Gulf of Thailand. He believes conserving the natural seagrass will make the Dugongs return.

Source: Coconuts Bangkok

Wasps sting elephant to death after mahout leaves her under nest
21st November 2014;

A 22-year-old female Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) in Chiang Mai died today after she was heavily stung by wasps from a nest her mahout tied her beneath.

“Fangmai,” who was also a mother of 2-year-old Kangthong, could not bear the wounds after she was stung over 100 times on her body, trunk, eyes and mouth Thursday. The elephant could not eat and was in miserable pain.

The elephant was sent to Friends of the Asian Elephant for treatment last night, but this morning she collapsed and died.

The wasps’ venom can be as dangerous as that of snakes, and Fangmai is believed to be the first recorded elephant to be stung to death in Thailand, according to Veterinarian Preecha Paungkam.

Her baby bull Kangthong survived the incident because he wasn’t chained and managed to run away, MThai reported.

Source: Coconuts Bangkok