BANGKOK – Bryde’s whales, dugongs and two dolphin species had been disappearing from Thai seas before Covid-19 travel bans gave breathing space for their habitats to recover.international tourists are flowing back in huge numbersThe Thai government is belatedly promoting sustainable tourism after alarming signs of environmental destruction from decades of unregulated boom.
Before the pandemic, one or two Bryde’s whales were seen in the marine park each year, but after tourism was suspended in 2020, the number increased. Thailand’s population of dugongs is estimated at just 300, though numbers are thought to have increased during the pandemic. On Feb 3 this year, a baby dugong named Dong Tan was found dead in Sattahip Bay off Chonburi after being spotted piggybacking on the back of a giant green sea turtle. The male infant died about two months after another female dugong, thought to be its mother, washed ashore in December.
Even closer to extinction in Thailand – and globally – are Irrawaddy dolphins, fewer than 20 of which are thought to be left in Thai waters.The IUCN categorises Irrawaddy dolphins as endangered species, and humpbacked dolphins as vulnerable species. Both species have been included in CITES Appendix I.