The dugong (Dugong dugon) is the only exclusively marine herbivorous mammal and is classified as Vulnerable globally. Australia's Shark Bay and Torres Strait hold some of the world's last viable large dugong populations, but seagrass loss from climate events and boat strike mortality threaten their welfare and survival.
Dugongs injured by boat propellers suffer deep lacerations to their backs and sides that cause infection and prolonged pain. Slow-moving and surface-dependent, they cannot avoid fast boats in turbid water. Seagrass loss from cyclones and heatwaves causes dugong nutritional stress: animals that have eaten in a specific meadow for decades must relocate, expending energy in unfamiliar areas. During the Shark Bay 2010-2011 heatwave, starving dugongs were observed begging for food at boat ramps — clear welfare distress signals from animals out of their normal range seeking any food source. Dugong calves dependent on their mothers for up to 18 months face orphaning risk if mothers are killed.