(MY) strayed dugong calf

[Guest guest]

Sunday August 27, 2006-The Star

 

Strayed dugong calf rescued, kept in resort pool

 

*BY HILARY CHIEW*

 

*PETALING JAYA:* A strayed dugong calf has been captured and confined by the

Fisheries Department since Thursday in a rescue operation, 10 days after it

was first sighted by a diver in the waters of Pulau Kapas, Terengganu.

 

Held in a resort swimming pool on nearby Pulau Gemia, the female baby

dugong, named Puteri Kapas, is bottle-fed with goat milk and monitored round

the clock. This is the first time a dugong was found in the state.

 

Aquaria KLCC curator Darren Chow, who learnt of the sighting, had gone to

the island on Wednesday and found the calf clinging to a boat, a sign of the

marine mammal seeking comfort and mistaking the hull of the boat as its

mother.

 

" It was very weak when it was brought to the resort. We believed that it had

not been feeding for at least 10 days, " he said yesterday.

 

He said the department was contemplating whether to keep the animal in an

enclosure at sea or bring it to an on-shore facility.

 

It is learnt that the department's Turtle and Marine Ecosystem Centre

(Tumec) had despatched several enforcement officers to the scene to ensure

that fishing boats steer clear of the area before it was captured on

Thursday.

 

Tumec director Kamaruddin Ibrahim could not be reached for comments.

 

Fisheries department resource management head Ahmad Saktian Langgang said a

statement would be issued when a decision is reached next week.

 

Chow said Aquaria KLCC is prepared to receive Puteri Kapas and rehabilitate

it until it was ready to be released to the wild.

 

" The animal is too young to be left unattended and the best place is a

facility like Aquaria which has the immediate facility to care for the

dugong. We may not have a dugong specialist but we have marine biologists

with experience handling other marine species which will be useful, " he

said.

 

Chow is concerned that Puteri Kapas would be subjected to excessive stress

as the pool is a public area in the resort and it would be a challenge to

keep curious visitors at bay.

 

He said while conservationists were against the idea of rehabilitating

dugong in captivity, fearing that it would grow too attached to its human

handler and pose difficulties later, he said the method had been proven

successful in Australia.

 

" In Indonesia, the Sea World in Jakarta had successfully raised four

orphaned calves. We had been in touch with the curator Rika Sudranto who

advised us on the general husbandry, " said Chow.

 

Chow said two persons were needed during the feeding session; one would act

as a surrogate mother by allowing the animal to clasp its flippers around

the person's waist while another would hold the bottle.

 

The calf initially rejected the infant formula fed to it but took to goat

milk and was given 300ml during each feeding session every three hours.

 

It is understood that fisheries officials want to ensure that Puteri Kapas

would not meet the fate of Si Tenang, a male calf stranded in Pasir Gudang,

Johor in 1999. Si Tenang died shortly after its release.

 

 

 

 

 

Monday August 28, 2006

 

 

 

MB: We'll ensure dugong survives

 

*KUALA TERENGGANU:* Measures will be taken to ensure baby dugong Puteri

Kapas survives, said Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh.

 

Idris said the state government did not want the newborn dugong to suffer

the same fate as another dugong calf, Si Tenang, which was stranded in Pasir

Gudang, Johor, in 1999 and died shortly after its release. Marine biologists

had expressed concern over whether Puteri Kapas would meet the same fate as

Si Tenang.

 

Puteri Kapas was rescued by the Fisheries Department off Pulau Kapas on

Thursday. It is the first dugong found in Terengganu waters.

 

" The department has the right expertise to nurse the dugong and they can

always seek help from us if the need arises, " Idris said here yesterday.

 

The dugong was first sighted by divers in waters off Pulau Kapas 11 days

before its rescue.

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

It's good news to know that the calf was rescued!