KOTA KINABALU: Sabah wildlife authorities have advised boat operators to be careful when plying the waters of the Tanjung Aru beach here due to the sudden appearance of a dugong.

       The dugong was first sighted by paddleboard guide Lisa Poroting on Wednesday morning.

       Poroting said she and her boss Nick Boura have since been sighting the marine mammal periodically up to Saturday morning.

       She said Boura had also taken aerial photos of the dugong using a drone.

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       “We are only doing what we can so the animal is kept from harm’s way,” she added.

       Sabah Wildlife director Augustine Tuuga said dugongs, dubbed “sea cows”, were a totally protected species under the state Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997.

       “Hopefully, the public will not harass it while it is there,” he said when contacted yesterday.

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       “But maybe not many people know of its existence there and accidents can happen when boats travel in the area... hopefully, it doesn’t get struck by a boat.

       “We will be sending staff to monitor,” he added.

       Tuuga said they were not certain where the dugong originated from.

       “As far as I can remember, this is the first time it is reported to be in the area (Tanjung Aru waters).

       “If it remains there for some time, there may be seagrass that it feeds on. But we also do not have information about the seagrass in the area,” he said.

       Sabah Parks director Dr Maklarin Lakim said the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, which is a cluster of islands off the Sabah capital, provided protected habitats for dugongs.

       “Such habitats also exist at Pulau Tiga Park off Kuala Penyu (about 110km southwest of Kota Kinabalu) where there is seagrass.

       “The presence of dugongs has been recorded there,” he said, adding that Sabah Parks will also consider sending a team to monitor the situation.

       He added that dugongs were known to be migratory species like turtles, which travel long distances to feed on seagrass.

       Previous reports said there were also dugong sightings at Mantanani Island, off the northern Kota Belud district, some 100km from here.