DUGONG The Gentle Sea Cow Guide

DUGONG: The Gentle Sea Cow Guide

Complete Keeper's Handbook and Expert Tips for Care, Behavior, Housing, Handling, and Habitat Management

Dugongs are the original "gentle sea cows" of the Indo-Pacific, and they are also among the most demanding marine mammals any human-care program could attempt. As strictly marine herbivores shaped by seagrass meadows and stable coastal waters, they do not tolerate shortcuts in space, water quality, or routine.

This handbook is a care-first, reality-based guide for accredited aquariums, rescue and rehabilitation settings, licensed facilities, and serious readers who want to understand what responsible dugong management actually requires. It does not encourage illegal capture, unlicensed possession, or improper trade.

Inside you will learn:

• Natural history, behavior, and why seagrass ecosystems shape every aspect of dugong care


• Habitat design fundamentals: space, water quality stability, and life-support planning


• Lighting, temperature stability, filtration, oxygenation, and monitoring priorities


• Nutrition built around seagrasses: feeding methods, supplementation planning, and hygiene


• Low-stress handling principles, safety basics, and movement and transport overview


• Health monitoring, common issues, and prevention-minded daily observation


• Breeding basics (optional) with a welfare-first perspective


• Legal and ethical considerations, permits, documentation, and conservation responsibility

If you want a respectful, practical guide that keeps welfare, compliance, and conservation at the center, this book offers a grounded path from understanding to responsible stewardship.

Note: This book is educational and does not replace veterinary or legal advice. Always follow local laws and work with qualified marine-mammal professionals.