TRANG: Another payoon or sea cow, an endangered herbivorous mammal, was found dead in the sea off this southern province on Saturday, according to a marine and coastal resources official.
If the death is confirmed, it would be the 11th payoon to have died in the sea off Trang this year, said Withaya Maknakhon, an official from the 10th Marine and Coastal Resources Conservation Office.
On Saturday Somsak Panthumet, chairman of the Group of Professional Tour Guides of Trang, was taking a group of tourists on a sea trip between Ya island of Trang and Ngai island of Krabi province when he spotted the carcass of a payoon, its intestines exposed, floating in the sea.
Mr Somsak took pictures of the carcass and sent them to his office, Mr Withaya said.
A team of officials then took a boat in search of the dead mammal in the stormy sea, but could not find it. They returned to the shore after two hours.
The team set out again later, but after about three hours amid strong waves and heavy rain decided to return to the Thung Khlongson pier in Trang's Sikao district.
Mr Withaya said the search would resume when the weather permits, in order to confirm the death of the payoon and collect details on its sex, weight and size.