The Dugong, or Sea Cow, as it is also known, is a large herbivorous mammal that lives in the sea entirely. The lip is fleshy and flat like a pad with a few hairs on it. Dugongs breathe from two nostrils at the front of its head. They feed in shallow water on a vegetarian diet consisting mostly of sea grass.
There are only a four species of Sirenians in the world. The dugong is the only Sirenian in the seas around Sri Lanka.
Here, too, they are found only off the North Western coastline from Puttalam to Jaffna and mainly off Mannar. Dugongs live close to the coast and prefer Puttalam to Jaffna coastline habitat since the extensive continental shelf here and the shallow waters provide ideal feeding grounds.
They have well developed mammary glands and have fooled sailors in the past into thinking that they are mermaids. They are sluggish harmless animals.
The dugong has a streamlined body to enable it to swim easily. Its fore-limbs are paddle shaped flippers. The tail fin, like in the Cetacens, is horizontal and flattened. It has a smooth and thick skin. They have small eyes compared to the rest of the body. The ears are two small holes with no covering.
Though dugongs are now extremely rare, they were once plentiful in these habitats, especially during the 19th century and the early part of the past century. Their numbers have greatly reduced due to fishermen catching them.
There is recent evidence that many dugongs were captured annually. Their flesh is in demand and hence their vulnerability. The rate of reproduction of the dugong is low and this contributes to the decline in numbers of this over-exploited mammal.
No real estimates have been made in recent times so that there is no inkling of the population status of the dugongs in their habitat. There is a great danger of the dugong quietly slipping to extinction due to the fact that it is rarely seen and that too by very few.
All cetaceans found in Sri Lankan waters and the dugong are protected by two ordinances, the Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance and the Fisheries Act.
However, the law is rarely enforced and is in effect useless in terms of conserving these species. If there is to be a positive effect in the attempt to conserve these species, there must be an active campaign by the knowledgeable public and the law, as it stands, implemented.
If the law is found to be inadequate, to deal with the situation under present circumstances, the necessary amendments to the laws should be brought in.
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