Gentle dugongs functionally extinct in Chinese waters: study


HONG KONG (Reuters): The dugong (pic), a gentle marine mammal that has frequented China's southern waters for hundreds of years, has become functionally extinct in the country, a new study said on Wednesday (Aug 24).

Research by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences said fishing, ship strikes and human-caused habitat loss have seen the number of dugongs in Chinese waters decrease rapidly from the 1970s onwards.

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China , dugong , extinct

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