Sri Lanka, Sept. 22 -- The Sri Lanka Department of Wildlife Conservation has denied social media claims that the body of a sea dugong was found on the Sri Lankan coastline.

The department clarified that the incident actually occurred in India.

According to a report in The Hindu newspaper, the carcass of a female dugong, estimated to be 8 to 9 years old and weighing approximately 300 kilograms, was discovered on September 19 at Sethukkarai beach in Tamil Nadu.

Indian wildlife officials suspect the animal may have died from a collision with rocks or an illness, with a post-mortem to determine the exact cause of death.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Hiru News....