Mermaids of the Sea

Mermaids of the Sea

Do you believe in mermaids? In fantasies mermaids are the singers of the sea, they have a very nice body and voice. Mermaids are usually described as a human fish because they say half of them are tail and the upper part is a human body. When I was a kid I thought mermaids are like princesses that live in a beautiful castle with an army of fishes. Just imagine them swimming and talking with us?

For me, mermaids are really real but not the typical one. I have read an article about mermaids and it impressed me. Another term for mermaids are dugongs, they are gentle creatures and really friendly to humans. Dugongs have inspired the lore of the mermaids among early European mariners in Asia, are known as “sea pigs” among native people who liken their meat to pork. Guest what they can weigh up to 500 kilograms, live for 70 years, and lead mostly solitary lives foraging for food. Dugongs are unique creatures due to the fact that they are vegetarian.

A team from World Wildlife Fund (WWF), work tirelessly in their attempt to protect the dugong from extinction in the Philippines. Once in large numbers, this fantastic sea pigs now retains footholds in just four regions, with the largest concentration in Palawan. Yet no one knows how many are left in Palawan or in the Philippines.

A lot of group wants to protect and save the dugongs not just for tourism but also for the future children. I am scared because we are not sure if we can still stop their extinction. Another thing is each female dugongs only has one calf every ten years thus makes the recovery of the population uncertain, or slow at best. Normally, we have two babies every year and this is a reminder that Dugongs have a low rate reproduction.

Let’s help save our mermaids because I believe they have an important role in our country/ society. Believe it or not they can help us if not today maybe in the future.