Last March, a group of divers headed out to explore the waters surrounding the remote island of Kokoya, which is a part of Indonesia. It’s an ideal place to swim and investigate; the crystal clear water is home to a variety of gorgeous sea life, and the weather is almost always warm.
What the divers discovered there instead was a nightmare. At the bottom of the ocean, just off the coast, were a series of underwater cages. Inside those cells were two dugongs, a rare marine animal that’s closely related to the manatee.
Initially, the divers weren’t sure how or why these gentle giants got there, but one thing was certain: they needed to break them free. Except, once they learned the truth, they were left even more horrified…
A group of divers exploring the waters of Kokoya, an island in Indonesia, came across a sickening sight. Two dugongs—a mother and her baby—were being held captive in separate cages. The mother was even chained by her tail.
To their horror, the divers soon learned that the animals had been captured by a local fisherman. He was requesting money from tourist in exchange for seeing the animals.
Though the divers weren’t sure how long the dugongs had been captured, the scars on the mother’s tail suggested it had been at least several weeks. Even though the fisherman promised to free the animals, the divers took pictures and videos and posted them to social media.
It’s a good thing, too. A day later, wildlife authorities showed up and found the dugongs still inside their cages. At long last, the poor animals were set free.
Dugongs are actually listed as vulnerable to extinction, so it’s incredibly lucky that the divers stumbled on these two and cared enough to make sure they were freed. It’s awful to think what would have happened otherwise…
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