While exploring the shallows near the island of Kokoya, Indonesia, a group of divers made a shocking discovery. They found a dugong, a rare aquatic mammal related to the manatee, trapped in a rusty cage extending from the surface to the ocean floor.
Around her tail was a crude rope that had left a deep scar suggesting the dugong had been trapped for weeks. The dugong was a mother separated from her calf who was unrestrained but trapped in another cage nearby.
The divers approached a group of nearby fishermen who wanted money in exchange for taking pictures of the dugongs. The divers attempted to explain that the dugongs were a protected species and tried to convince their captor to set them free. Delon Lim, one of the divers, told The Dodo “When we left the island, the fisherman agreed to release them, But since we were not so convinced he would, I posted the video to social media. The other divers did as well.”
The video has since been deleted, but one diver’s tweet still remains online. “We want to report there was a dugong was captured and tied up on the island of Kokoya by Fisherman … His condition is pitiful!” he wrote.
Bu @susipudjiastuti mau lapor ada dugong ditangkap dan diikat di Pulau Kokoya oleh Nelayan.. Kondisinya mengenaskan! pic.twitter.com/i9pZiDjFc4
— Galuh Riyadi (@GaluhRiyadi) March 13, 2016
Wildlife authorities contacted Lim just a few hours after the tweet was posted online. Lim told them where to find the cages and the next day officials paid the fishermen a visit. The dugongs were both still in their cages when authorities arrived.
Proses Pelepasan Ikan Dugong di Pulau Kokoya @humaspsdkp @sjariefwidjaja @kkpgoid pic.twitter.com/KQHWNmcI37
— PANGKALAN BITUNG (@psdkp_lan5) March 14, 2016
Indonesian authorities went underwater themselves and freed the pair of dugongs.
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