BANGKOK, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- An eight-month-old sick dugong named Marium has died from an infection after pieces of plastic were found in her intestine.
The baby dugong's death was announced Saturday on the Facebook page of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources.
She died from a blood infection after midnight after going into shock.
An autopsy showed pieces of plastic had caused obstructions in her intestine tract, leading to inflammation and gas build-up and there was pus in the lung.
The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources said that Marium's death should serve as a warning about the effects of plastic waste on wildlife.
The orphaned dugong was rescued in April after being washed up in shallow waters in Krabi, south Thailand.
Marium was taken under the care of veterinarians in the sea off Libong Island and was trained to improve survival skills in the natural habitat.
Marium, whose name means "lady of the sea," is the first dugong to have been nurtured by humans in Thailand.
Aged around four months when she was found, Marium became famous after photos of her hugging vets were posted online and the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources then set up cameras to livestream her being fed milk formula.
Her story has impressed Thai netizens as she is dubbed "Thailand's sweetheart" by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources.
