Dugongs are gentle herbivores that depend on seagrass meadows increasingly degraded by human activity. Boat strikes cause significant welfare harm to surviving individuals.
Dugong welfare is threatened by both habitat loss and direct injury. Seagrass meadow degradation from runoff, coastal development, and climate-driven cyclones forces dugongs to forage in less productive areas, causing nutritional stress. Boat propeller strikes cause lacerations, broken ribs, and internal injuries that are often fatal or cause prolonged suffering. Speed zones in dugong habitat areas significantly reduce strike frequency. Individual dugongs rescued with propeller wounds require intensive veterinary care, but recovery is possible. Protecting seagrass ecosystems and imposing speed limits in dugong areas are the most direct welfare interventions.