Thailand\u2019s Andaman Coast is home to one of the largest dugong populations in the world, with 273 of the plump marine mammals, sometimes called sea cows, estimated to be living there as of 2022. In recent years, though, more and more dead or stranded dugongs have been washing ashore. Now the Andaman Coast population may have fallen by more than half, experts say.<\/p>\n
In late November, I travelled to Phuket, following in the footsteps<\/a> of film-makers Mailee Osten-Tan and Nick Axelrod, who have been investigating Thailand\u2019s dugong crisis over the past year for a new Guardian documentary<\/a>.<\/p>\n The reason that dugongs are in Phuket to begin with is troubling, and points to the larger biodiversity crisis in our seas. But first, this week\u2019s most important reads.<\/p>\n Essential readsIn focusPhotographer Theerasak Saksritawee using his drone to capture images of dugongs on Ko Phra Thong island, in Phang Nga province, Thailand. Photograph: Mailee Osten-Tan<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been covering the extinction crisis facing the world\u2019s biodiversity for more than a decade, tracking vanishing species through forests<\/a> and across the Arctic tundra<\/a>, and witnessing the threats that face them. But the struggles of species that live below the water\u2019s surface are often only revealed when their lifeless bodies wash ashore. Even then, they tend to get less attention than their land-based counterparts; if a marine animal isn\u2019t blessed with a certain charisma, its extinction can happen out of human sight.<\/p>\n People who amplify concerns about these animals, then, are extremely important. At a roti shack on the edge of Tang Khen Bay, I met Theerasak Saksritawee (pictured above and below), known as Pop, a local photographer who has been recording the plight of dugongs via captivating drone images. He hopes to share more about dugongs with his 26,000 followers on Instagram, building a social movement to champion their protection. \u201cMany people, when they think of conservation, focus on sea turtles and dolphins,\u201d he says. \u201cSome people can\u2019t even tell where a dugong\u2019s eyes are.\u201d<\/p>\n Just before meeting Pop, I had been attacked by a large Chinese goose (Anser cygnoides). The territorial animal had grown used to Pop\u2019s presence along the shoreline day after day, and was protective of him. He nipped at my trousers and wouldn\u2019t let go until Pop calmed him down. In that way, the goose was reminiscent of Miracle \u2013 the lone dugong left in Tang Khen Bay as of late 2025. At one point, there were as many as 13 dugongs living in the bay, nibbling the stubbly seagrass that sprouts along the ocean floor. But Miracle \u2013 who earned his name for having twice been saved from beach strandings \u2013 had chased the others away, biting at their flippers to keep the seagrass to himself.<\/p>\n The fact that dugongs are present in Phuket worries environmental scientists. Normally, the bulk of the Andaman Coast population resides 62 miles (100km) away in the waters of Trang province, home to abundant seagrass meadows. A lot of that seagrass, however, has died in recent years. And in response, dugongs are travelling farther and farther in search of food.<\/p>\n Saksritawee, known as Pop, reviews his photographs a restaurant in Tang Khen Bay, Phuket, Thailand. Photograph: Mailee Osten-Tan<\/p>\n I\u2019ve reported extensively<\/a> on the fourth global mass coral bleaching event<\/a> devastating the world\u2019s reefs. So I was intrigued when the scientists I spoke with told me they had briefly considered whether higher-than-normal sea temperatures may have also triggered Thailand\u2019s seagrass die-off, killing the aquatic plant or otherwise stunting its growth. When I considered what had happened to corals, it seemed feasible.<\/p>\n But Thailand\u2019s Andaman Sea actually experienced cooler temperatures than normal in 2023, and by the time it reached unseasonably high temperatures in mid-2024, the dugong strandings and deaths were already in full swing. Ultimately, scientists say they still aren\u2019t entirely sure what has caused the massive seagrass die-off, but it\u2019s likely a combination of shifting environmental factors: reduced light reaching the seagrass due to silt in the water; pollution; dredging; more dissolved nutrients in the system; extreme sea temperatures; and elevated daytime tidal exposure.<\/p>\n