''Indicators hint rise in number of Dugongs in Guj and other

Amid fear that they might have gone extinct along the Gujarat coast, a fresh assessment has indicated that about 20-30 Dugongs or sea cows might be existing in the western state, a senior Central government official said here on Wednesday.

Encouragingly, the number of the endangered marine mammal might have crossed 250 along the coasts in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

As per the 2012 estimate, less than 250 Dugongs existed along the coasts of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The medium-sized marine mammal has been classified as "vulnerable to extinction" in the red list of the threatened species International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Live sightings and other indicators suggest that the current number of Dugongs might have doubled along the coast in Gujarat compared to the earlier estimate, he said.

As per a survey conducted in the year 2012, less than 250 Dugongs were estimated to exist along the coasts in the