An orphaned baby dugong was pushed by strong waves and became stranded on a beach after losing its mum.
The 2ft-long juvenile marine mammal, believed to be the offspring of a female adult that died from being caught in a net, was lying on the shore when it was found by locals in Krabi province, Thailand, on June 24.
Footage shows the dugong weakly moving in the sand. Hat Noppharat Thara Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park officers later arrived when they were contacted by residents for help.
It was carried to the deeper part of the sea and then released. Aerial footage shows it could swim away without problems.
Park chief Yutthapong Damsrisuk said: ‘It was healthy and weighed 30kg. The strong winds and waves in the monsoon season might have caused the dugong to become stranded.'
The park chief added it could be the offspring of a female dugong that had been caught in a crab net and died on June 23.
He said: ‘We contacted the Marine and Coastal Resources Research Center to examine the deceased dugong's body to determine if it had recently given birth to verify this.'
The officers would continue to patrol the beaches and use drones to monitor the baby dugong to ensure its safety.
Dugongs are large marine mammals, sometimes called 'sea cows,' that inhabit shallow coastal waters of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.
Calves typically stay with their mothers for about 18 months, when they nurse and learn essential survival skills. After weaning, young dugongs gradually become more independent but may still associate with their mothers for some time. By around three to seven years, dugongs are usually fully independent from their mothers.
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