Rare sighting: Researchers spot Dugong feeding in Andaman waters; watch video

The Dugong is one of only four extant species of Sirenia sea cow; it is the only herbivorous mammal that is exclusively dependent on the seagrass habitat

What can be termed as a rare sighting, the team of researchers from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) have spotted a Dugong also known as sea cow feeding in Andaman waters.

WII Director, Virendra Tiwari said," Recently our Dugong team, Dr Swapnali Gole and Sumit Prajapati got nice footage of Dugong feeding in Andaman. This is one of the rare sighing in the field."

Researchers from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) recently spotted a rare Dugong, or sea cow, feeding in Andaman waters. Dugongs, vital for seagrass ecosystems, are endangered due to habitat loss. WII has been leading conservation efforts under the Dugong Recovery Program… pic.twitter.com/6BOfhFR8fD

— Mid Day (@mid_day) January 29, 2025

The Dugong is one of only four extant species of Sirenia sea cow. It is the only herbivorous mammal that is exclusively dependent on the seagrass habitat. High fishing pressure and other coastal developmental activities resulted in the degradation of seagrass habitats in India and ultimately threatened the Dugong populations in the county.

Project Scientist - Dr Swapnali Gole from the Wildlife Institute of India said, "The sighting of Dugong was a result of efforts we have been putting in creating this citizen science network across the islands, including different sea-faring stakeholders. SCUBA divers are one of our key stakeholders as they had been reporting regular dugong sightings to us from this place where we sighted the dugong and it was only after that we planned to go for a dive. Our work on dugong conservation in the islands is a product of multiple stakeholders pitching in because sighting is so rare."

It may be noted that Dr. J.A. Johnson, the Principal Investigator of the project and his team have played a very crucial role in the Dugong Recovery Program in India.

The Dugong is protected under Schedule List I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and is also listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Dugongs play a fundamental ecological role in the functioning of coastal marine habitats, particularly seagrass ecosystems.

Since 2016, the Wildlife Institute of India has been involved in the Dugong Recovery Program in India to conserve this rare and elusive species and its habitat through an integrated participatory approach, which is funded by the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Advisory Council (CAMPA), MoEFCC, in three locations along the Indian coast: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Tamil Nadu (Gulf of Mannar & Palk Bay), and Gujarat (Gulf of Kutch).

As of now, it is expected that around 200 surviving Dugongs are found in Indian waters. Among their distribution range, the Gujarat coast holds a very low density of Dugong, and the presence of dugongs is always confirmed by indirect evidence from stranding records.

Similar efforts by WII's CAMPA-Dugong Project in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat is helping save this endangered species from the Indian waters.

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