Koh Libong, Thailand (CNN) — For much of 2019, Thailand's biggest internet celebrity was an aquatic mammal with a nose resembling a vacuum cleaner nozzle. Park officials and veterinarians care for Marium in the waters off Koh Libong in southern Thailand. Having flippers not equipped to move their bodies without water buoying them, they regularly get stranded on Koh Libong during low tide. Despite the good intentions of the Koh Libong residents, dugongs, of which there are believed to be around 7,300 globally, still face many dangers in Thailand. For now, though, close to the helpful humans living on Koh Libong remains the safest place for a Thai dugong to be.

Source: CNN February 04, 2020 00:22 UTC