PLEASE NOTE : Readers may find the following images distressing.
A happy day fishing and adventuring with friends ended for young Abel Terry with a tragic find near Mowbray River on Sunday July 26, 2020.
Returning to the boat ramp after a day fishing and exploring, he came upon a dugong anchored to the sea floor with a sharp metal object pierced through its head. Abel expressed sadness and disappointment at this act of animal cruelty.
A spokesperson from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority confirms,
βWeβve been notified of a reported deceased dugong south of Port Douglas, are responding to the incident, and seeking further information to determine if a full investigation is required. Members of the public are encouraged to report any sightings of deceased or injured marine animals including turtles, dolphin, dugongs, seals or whales on 13 QGOV (137468). The unlawful take of protected species such as dugong is an offence under the Queensland and
Commonwealth law. Suspected illegal activity can be reported to our 24-hour free hotline 1800 130 372, or online.β
‘Under section 211 of the Native Title Act, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are entitled to hunt dugongs for personal, domestic or non-commercial communal needs. State and Territory laws also allow the practice…….’