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The mammal has only been seen three times by people in the last five years, along China’s coastal areas. Researchers haven’t observed it since 2000.
The animal, which weighs nearly half a ton, is known for its docile features and has become vulnerable due to overfishing.
The team of investigators that announced the disappearance of the animal interviewed almost 800 people living in coastal areas and most of them had not seen the Dugong on average for 23 years. It was therefore considered extinct, “the species is no longer viable to guarantee its subsistence”, explained Heidi Ma, one of the scientists involved in the research that brought together the ZSL institute and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Read more in Jornal de Notícias
