Adult dugong found dead off Antique town

A large adult dugong (Dugong dugon) lies along the coast of Barangay Aras-Asan in Sebaste, Antique, where it was found dead on Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, a day after a juvenile dugong was rescued from a low-tide stranding in Caluya town. Fisheries technologist and biodiversity researcher Flord Nicson Calawag said strong waves associated with the prevailing southwest monsoon may have washed it ashore. But a necropsy is needed to determine the animal’s cause of death. (Photo courtesy of Rey Tan Cadiena) ILOILO CITY — A day after residents of an Antique island helped a stranded juvenile dugong return to the sea, another of the threatened marine mammals was found dead along the coast of the province. The dugong, or sea cow (Dugong dugon), was discovered along the shoreline of Barangay Aras-Asan in Sebaste town on Monday morning. Authorities responded to the area and examined the carcass to help determine the possible cause of death and arrange its proper handling. Article continues after this advertisement READ: Stranded baby dugong in Antique gets help returning to sea Flord Nicson Calawag, a licensed fisheries technologist and biodiversity researcher, said the animal appeared to be a large adult based on photographs of the carcass. “From these photos, the dugong appears to be a large adult species. There are some superficial marks and abrasions visible on the body, but the photographs alone cannot establish the cause of death,” Calawag said. He said the prevailing southwest monsoon, locally known as habagat, could have brought the carcass to the shoreline. “There is a strong possibility that the adult dugong was washed ashore by strong waves associated with the prevailing Habagat in Antique,” Calawag said. Article continues after this advertisement But he stressed that being washed ashore would not explain what caused the animal to die in the first place. “A proper examination or necropsy is necessary to establish the cause of death and determine whether it may be linked to fishing activities, ingestion of marine debris, vessel collision, disease or other natural or human-related factors,” he said. Article continues after this advertisement Authorities had yet to announce the results of an examination or determine when and how the dugong died. READ: Endangered dugong found dead in Magsaysay, Occidental Mindoro The discovery came just a day after a juvenile dugong became stranded during low tide on Liwagao Island in Barangay Sibolo, Caluya town, also in Antique. Residents came to the juvenile’s aid and successfully helped it return to the sea on Sept. 6. No indication suggested the two incidents were related. But their occurrence on successive days drew attention to dugongs’ presence in Antique waters and concerns about protecting the species and its coastal habitat. Dugongs are herbivorous marine mammals that depend largely on seagrass meadows in shallow coastal waters. They reproduce slowly, making the loss of breeding adults particularly significant to small or declining populations. Based on documentation, dugongs are threatened by accidental capture and entanglement in fishing gear, vessel strikes, hunting, and the degradation or loss of seagrass habitat. Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful. Calawag cautioned, however, that none of these possible causes could be attributed to the Sebaste dugong without a proper examination of the carcass./coa