The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC) has announced the rescue of a dugong in co-operation with Qatari environmental activists Khalifa Omar Saleh al-Hamidi and Ahmed Saad al-Fayyadh al-Khalidi, who first reported that the young dugong was drifting in the Khor Al Udaid area.
Accordingly, a team from the ministry acted immediately to move the dugong to the Fuwairit protected area (Hawksbill turtles project), where it was placed in a dedicated pond. It was shifted there due to the presence of ponds equipped for breeding young turtles. The necessary first-aid was administered to the animal in addition to taking care of its nutritional requirements.
The dugong was determined to be a male measuring 1.3m long, weighing 26kg and around two weeks old. The MoECC will provide it with care round the clock until it becomes strong enough to be released into its original habitat to maintain the country's biodiversity.
