I am a Dugong-Ambassador (Part 2)

Dear friends,

I hope you have discovered for yourself some interesting fact about dugongs by now. In this 'I am a Dugong-Ambassador - Part 2', we will take a peek into the world of seagrasses! : ) It is the principal food for dugongs!

Do you know that there is a wonderful organisation called Seagrass-Watch which is based in Cairns, Australia? It's primary concern is seagrass beds throughout the world.

Take a look at Seagrass-Watch website and see a world map of seagrass distribution.

Do you know that we have a group of seagrass-enthusiasts who regularly monitor the conditions of the seagrass beds in Singapore? It is called Team Seagrass and it is one of the international partners of Seagrass-Watch. Siti is the young lady incharge of Team Seagrass.

Do you know that Siti and her friends discovered several dugong feeding trails last year at Chek Jawa? Hurray! See the photo here.

Please visit Siti and her Team Seagrassers in their blog. They are a wonderful bunch! : )

I have found a beautiful drawing of a dugong for your viewing pleasure - from the American Museum of Natural History. See drawing here.

Isn't this exciting! Seagrass beds are extremely important habitats for dugongs. If we want to speak up for the dugongs as ambassadors, we must also speak up for the seagrass beds in and around Singapore! I did! I wrote a short essay about the plight of the seagrass bed in the estuary of Sungei Pulai (Johore, Malaysia). It is presently threatened by the expansion of a shipping port there. Read my essay here.

Cheers,

Uncle Joe : )