In the waters of the Red Sea near the popular resort city of Hurghada in Egypt, the camera of one of the divers captured the appearance of a creature that has almost disappeared due to human fault – the dugong, which is also popularly called the “mistress of the seas” or “mermaid”. This was reported by the Egyptian edition of El Watan.
Enthusiastic tourists who went on a boat trip to meet the “mermaid” last Tuesday were incredibly lucky. Thus, the organizer of boat trips in Hurghada, Ahmed Biju, told the portal that one of the boat's trips to the open sea on April 18 gave tourists unforgettable emotions at the sight of a majestic and harmless animal. Vacationers watched the endangered species of marine mammals.
According to the scientist and director of the northern reserves of the Red Sea, Ahmed Gallab, sea “mermaids” are rare marine mammals that still remain an important attraction of the beaches of Hurghada: tourists pay for sea tours to see animals in their natural environment, and then tend to stroke them and take pictures on memory.
The interlocutor also pointed out the economic importance of the presence of these sea creatures: they are considered a source of national wealth that must be preserved in the tourism sector. According to recent studies, the mere presence of dugongs in the Red Sea generates an annual income of $1.2 million per year for Egypt.
Help: The dugong is a herbivorous mammal that reaches four meters in length and has a weight of up to 600 kg. These animals – the indigenous inhabitants of the Red Sea, are on the verge of extinction due to human fault. Dugongs have long been harvested for meat, the taste and texture of which reminded them of tender veal. In Egypt, dugongs have been known for a long time. From the time of the pharaohs, drawings have been preserved that depicted the hunt for these animals. And in the Middle Ages, dugongs were often depicted as mermaids.
Dugongs are leisurely creatures from the order of sirens, they move slowly, feeding on vegetation from the bottom. Currently, they are listed in the International Red Book, so their catch is strictly prohibited.
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