On the afternoon of August 19, locals in the Con Dao Special Zone discovered a dugong - approximately 3 meters long and weighing nearly 300kg - washed into Con Son Bay. The animal was found in a state of extreme exhaustion and passed away shortly after.

Speaking to VietNamNet, Dang Lam (33), a resident of Con Dao who first discovered the dugong, said he spotted the animal around 2:30 p.m. while walking along the beach. Initially mistaking it for an unfamiliar creature, he approached and identified it as a dugong - an endangered marine mammal often referred to as a “mermaid.”

According to Lam, the dugong was too weak to swim back into deeper waters. Despite his efforts to help, he was unable to rescue the animal and promptly alerted the Con Dao National Park Management Board and local authorities.

Due to the large size of the dugong, between 8 to 10 people were needed to lift its body onto a specialized vehicle and transport it inland.

According to the Institute of Marine Research, the dugong (Dugong dugon) belongs to the sirenian family and is listed as a vulnerable species in the 2023 Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

In Vietnam, dugongs have only been recorded in the waters off Con Dao and Phu Quoc. Among these, Con Dao features a rich seagrass ecosystem, providing an ideal habitat for several endangered marine species, including sea turtles and dugongs.

Quang Hung