Young dugong drifts ashore in Maguindanao Del Norte

A juvenile or young dugong surprised residents after drifting ashore in Datu Blah Sinsuat, Maguindanao Del Norte.

According to Kuya Kim Atienza's report on "24 Oras" on Wednesday, a juvenile dugong typically weighs 20 kilos and measures one meter in length.

Resident Benzar Hamsa said that bad weather may have caused the young animal to get close to the shore.

"At night here in our area, there is thunder and lightning. The next day, the dugong flocked in," he said in Filipino.

The incident was immediately reported to the barangay local government unit and the dugong was safely brought back to the water.

At least 10 dugong deaths have been reported in the Philippines this year. Four were reported in Davao Oriental, and one each in Palawan and Sultan Kudarat.

According to marine biologist and D'Bone Collector Museum proprietor Dr. Darrell Blatchley, the series of deaths is alarming.

"By international standards, if you lose five percent of your original dugong population, that will take 50 to 60 years to recover," he said. "That is alarming because it is not just the big breeders, babies, it's all of them."

Dugongs are important for the ocean because they feed on seagrass, which help keep the underwater plant at healthy levels.

"Seagrass is home for turtles, pawikans," Blatchley said. "It's one giant circle that if you remove one key animal, it messes up the whole ecosystem." —Nika Roque/MGP, GMA News