Pregnant dugong found dead in General Santos

MARINE authorities discovered a dugong washed ashore and lifeless in General Santos City on February 7, 2026, highlighting the vulnerability of the region’s critically endangered marine wildlife.

Reports from Bantay Dagat personnel and nearby residents indicate the dugong was initially alive when first spotted. A necropsy conducted at the Marine Wildlife Rescue Center confirmed that the animal was carrying a calf. 

According to the resident veterinarian of the Sarangani Bay Protected Seascape (SBPS), the dugong’s internal organs appeared normal, with no foreign objects or ingested materials that could have directly caused its death. The adult dugong, estimated to weigh between 400 and 500 kilograms, may have been approaching the time of delivery.

The incident comes just a day after a more hopeful sighting in Kiamba, where the Protected Area Management Office of the Sarangani Bay Protected Seascape (PAMO-SBPS) documented a mother and calf dugong swimming in the bay on February 6. Observers noted natural behaviors, including nursing, signaling healthy interaction, and reinforcing Sarangani Bay’s importance as a breeding and feeding ground for the species.

“These events illustrate both the successes of ongoing conservation efforts and the persistent threats faced by dugongs,” SBPS officials said. “While the mother-calf sighting offers hope, the death of a pregnant dugong is a stark reminder that these gentle marine mammals are still at risk.”

Dugongs, scientifically known as Dugong dugon, are marine mammals closely related to manatees and are the only strictly herbivorous marine mammals in the Philippines. They feed almost exclusively on seagrass, making healthy seagrass beds essential for their survival. Dugongs can live up to 70 years in the wild, and females typically give birth to a single calf every three to seven years after a gestation period of around 13 months. Calves nurse for over a year and remain close to their mothers, meaning the loss of adult females has a significant impact on population recovery.

Dugong statistics

Globally, dugongs are found across the Indian and western Pacific Oceans in approximately 37 to 40 countries. Population estimates range from 70,000 to 100,000 individuals, though many populations are small, fragmented, and declining. 

Dugongs have already disappeared from historical ranges in parts of Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Vietnam. In the Philippines, dugongs were historically widespread along the coastline, but numbers have declined drastically since the 1970s due to human activities. Today, small, fragmented populations persist in parts of Mindanao, Palawan, Guimaras, and Luzon waters, including Sarangani Bay. 

Estimates suggest fewer than 200 dugongs remain in Philippine waters, making each sighting and stranding critical for conservation.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists dugongs as Vulnerable globally, while Philippine law classifies them as critically endangered under DAO 2019-09. 

Dugongs face numerous threats, including the loss and degradation of seagrass meadows, boat strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, and marine pollution. 

In the Philippines, it is estimated that 30 to 50 percent of seagrass habitats have been lost over the past 50 years due to destructive fishing practices, sedimentation, pollution, and coastal development.

Sarangani Bay remains a critical habitat for dugongs, providing essential feeding, breeding, and shelter areas. Authorities have urged the public to play an active role in protecting these marine mammals by maintaining a safe distance when sighted, avoiding chasing or feeding them, reducing boat speeds in shallow waters, and properly disposing of waste to prevent marine pollution. Dugong sightings or strandings should be reported immediately to PAMO-SBPS or local authorities. DEF