According to a new survey, the dugongs are experiencing a baby boom and the population has increased throughout the southern region of the reef.
Dugongs, a relative of the manatee, have shown a massive surge in population in the ailing Great Barrier Reef, according to a newly released ariel surveys taken.
In the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority report, of the 5,500 counted, 10% of them are calves. Compared to the last survey conducted in 2011, which found no calves at all following a disastrous cyclone Yasi having stripped away all the seagrass, this is great news for the species which is listed as vulnerable to extinction by the IUCN.
In a report by the National Geographic, Tooni Mahto, senior marine campaigner at the nonprofit Australian Marine Conservation Society in Brisbane said that the uptick in baby dugongs is a ” huge reason to celebrate”.
But she was quick to urge caution: “The dugong population up there is still only at about 3 to 5 percent of historical numbers,” says Mahto.
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