KOTA KINABALU: Despite the excitement of spotting rarely seen dugongs in Kota Kinabalu waters, the public should be careful not to endanger the species.
Expressing her concern, diving instructor Mira Ambu Spaniol, 32, said that it is great news that dugongs are now reappearing in Kota Kinabalu waters after being thought to be extinct for decades.
The six-year instructor mentioned that apart from the dugong sighting off Tanjung Aru public beach, staff from a resort here also had a similar encounter.
"Resort staff, watersport staff, and tour guides need to be mindful with jet skis, boats, and tourists to avoid causing any stress or harm to the dugong. It mainly feeds on seaweed or grass in shallow sandy areas.
"People must be aware that they are endangered and any disturbance to its habitat will cause it to die or relocate.
"Everyone has to be mindful if they are trying to see it, just as when the whale sharks were recently spotted off Kota Kinabalu waters here."
When asked about the possible reasons for dugongs appearing in a particular place, Marine Research Foundation executive director Dr. Nicolas J Pilcher said that the only reason dugongs go to places is to feed or reproduce.
"This one is alone, so it is likely looking for food. It is possibly moving up from Lawas or down from Banggi," he said, adding that he once spotted a herd of over 30 dugongs in Lawas.
Pilcher also said that the last sighting of dugong here was in 1999 or 2000 in the port area.
He added that the estimated dugong population in Malaysia is in the low hundreds.
In Sabah, there are likely fewer than 50 dugongs remaining. They used to be found in Banggi and Tawau.
"But nobody does any standardised research here, mostly because it is expensive work.
"The last large-scale assessment of dugongs here was in 2010 between my foundation and Universiti Malaysia Sabah."
He added that while its status is vulnerable at the global level, in Malaysia, it is likely to be critically endangered due to the degradation of seagrass habitat and mostly due to becoming bycatch in fisheries.