The motherless dugong "Mariam" tragically shocked to death after the vital signs disappeared and being brought up to stimulate the heart until it got a little better. A moment later, another poor condition struck, and this time the veterinary team couldn't save its life.  The veterinarians performed an autopsy and found 8 plastic fragments clogging the distal colon which caused an accumulation of gas in the digestive tract. Additionally, there is an infection in the bloodstream, causing acute pain and possibly got the dogong shocked to death.  

It was mentally painful to all Thai people that the baby dugong unfairly died of human misconduct of waste management. Chief of the Libong Island Sanctuary stated that during the 111 days that Mariam was with the officials and vet team, the staff of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources and the Navy team were helping to make it live as much naturally as possible.  Everyone has an intimate bond with it and sees it as their own relatives and children.  "I think that the Thai people who have been following Mariam have the same feeling as us" he added. Notably, it was the first time in history that human help take care of a motherless dugong in nature.

While Mr. Chatuporn  Burutphat, Director of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources said that everyone is sad about this loss but there is something that has to be urgently resolved if everyone aspires to preserve rare marine animals to remain with us. Mariam has become a goodwill ambassador, helping humans to get closer and better understand the importance of rare sea creatures like dugongs. It portrays as a family member and a member of community that brought together the relationship between dugongs and Thai people like never before. 

Hopefully, this will spark major awareness for the conservation of seagrass beds, which are home to the largest group of dugongs in the country. To allow the community and the dugongs to coexist peacefully, people must act immediately and efficiently to reduce the amount of all kind of rubbish thrown into the sea to not disturb the ecosystem where all marine creatures are supposed to live in tranquilly for good.

Reference : https://www.thairath.co.th/news/local/south/1639971