SURAT THANI: The carcass of a dugong, a rare marine mammal called payoon in Thai, was found on a beach in Chaiya district of this southern coastal province on Sunday.
The payoon was male, about 15-20 years of age, about 2 metres long and weighed about 200 kilogrammes.
Saneh Rattanasamniang, the fishery office chief in Chaiya district, said there were knife cuts and wounds on the body. The mammal had been tied with a rope and its canine teeth cut off.
It was believed to have died three or four days previously. The carcass would be sent to the Marine and Coastal Resources Research Centre in Chumphom for an autopsy to establish the actual cause of death.
Wichawut Jinto, the Surat Thani governor, who went to the beach to examine the carcass, said it was the second to have been found in the province in less than two months. It was a big loss as the payoon is a protected animal near to extinction, he added.
He called for fishermen to be careful to avoid disturbing the payoon's habitat and warned that hunting of the rare mammal is against the law.
