Authorities are searching for the cruel individual after finding the carcass of a dugong in intact condition but bloated at Laem San Na in Krabi. Both tusks had been cut off and were missing, with wounds inside its mouth. The offense carries a maximum penalty of 15 years imprisonment and a 1.5 million baht fine.
On 24 July, Mr. Wisanu Jaengjai, Director of the Marine and Coastal Resources Office Region 10 under the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, assigned Ms. Natthaplas Boonyai, Director of the Marine Conservation Center in Krabi Province, along with staff from the Andaman Sea Lower Coast Marine and Coastal Resources Research Center and the Rare Marine Animal Surveillance Center (dugongs), to investigate the discovery of a stranded dugong carcass at Laem San Na, Moo 1, Ko Sriboya Subdistrict, Nuea Khlong District, Krabi, following a report from Mr. Yongyut Fangkwa, village headman of Ko Sriboya Subdistrict, who found the dugong floating dead in the sea.
Upon examination, the dugong was identified as a male measuring 296 centimeters in length. The carcass was beginning to decompose but the body remained in good condition, showing only minor abrasions from stranding. Tragically, officials found both tusks had been cut off and there were sharp instrument wounds inside the mouth. It is presumed the tusks were removed after the dugong had died. The carcass was transported to the research center for a detailed autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
Initially, authorities filed a police report and recorded the incident at Khlong Khanan Police Station to expedite the search for the perpetrator for prosecution under the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act B.E. 2562 (2019). Offenders face imprisonment from 3 to 15 years or fines between 300,000 and 1,500,000 baht, or both.