Rocky Mountain Tracking

The dugong, otherwise known as the sea cow for its diet of strictly sea grass, are slow, docile sea creatures that live off the coast of Australia.  Large areas of sea grass have been obliterated thanks to extreme weather conditions over the last year, with over 1,000 miles of coastline affected.  This leaves the dugongs hungry and ultimately leads them to search for food elsewhere.

The trouble is the size and speed of sea cows: they starve to death before they reach an area with the food they are craving.  Experts say it can take over two years for the sea grass to grow back, and the dugong must either find a new area with sea grass, or die.  So far, approximately 100 dugongs have perished due to starvation.

The lack of sea grass is not their only threat.  Historically, the dugong is prized for its bones and ivory, along with its meat, a delicacy in Australia.  The Native Title Act allows indigenous fishermen following in their ancestors footsteps to catch the dugong for their own personal use.  Activists, however, point out that some bad apples are spoiling the bushel, selling dugong meat for profit and even exporting it.

The cruel methods employed by some of these fishermen have come into question.  Colin Riddell, the man behind a new TV campaign set to launch this month (making the general population aware of the problems with the Native Title law), says: “We have a confirmed report of a dugong calf being tied to the back of a boat, its cries bringing in the mother so they can both be killed.”

He also tells of fishermen using a GPS device to aid in identifying massive groups of dugong.  As soon as they come across a dugong pod, they call up their fishing buddies for help, and the slaughtering begins.

As Riddell says, “I don’t have a problem with Native Title hunting if it’s done sustainably, but let’s just see how many are left.”

Article Written by Khristen Foss