WWF Help Vietnamese Fight to Save Dugong

WWF charity officials have pledged to help the Vietnamese government in saving the curiously built Dugong mammal and it’s required eco system of corals and seagrasses. Alongside the United Nations Environment Program, WWF will help establish a preservation model in the Mekong Delta coastal province of Kien Giang for the endangered species, the area this weird and wonderful creature calls home.

The Dugong, also know as the Seacow, is one of Vietnam’s most endangered creatures. When fully mature a Dugong can grow between 2.4 and 2.7 metres long and weigh in at up to 400 kilograms. Amazingly, these creatures, if protected, can live a long and fruitful life. Some of them can reach 70 years or more, and with WWF’s help, hopefully more of them will do that in Vietnam.

There are approximately 100,000 Dugong currently living in the world today, but these numbers are dwindling due to the increase in mainland pollution and the development of coastal urban areas. This in turn kills off a lot of the local natural seagrasses, the only food for the Dugong. Hopefully the US$225,000 pledged by WWF and their local partners will go some way into protecting these beautiful creatures in the waters of Vietnam and Cambodia.