Marium The Insanely Cute Baby Dugong Dies After Eating Plastic Waste

She was brought in for treatment in the artificial sea on Libong Island in Krabi province.

“We assume she wandered off too far from her natural habitat and was chased, and eventually attacked by another male dugong, or dugongs, as they feel attracted to her,” he said.

An autopsy showed a large amount of plastic waste in her intestine, which could also have played a part in her death as it led to gastritis and blood infection, he said.

“She must’ve thought these plastics were edible,” Jatuporn said.

The dugong is a species of marine mammal similar to the American manatee and can grow to about 3.4 metres in length. Its conservation status is listed as vulnerable.