More than a hundred young people, mostly students, on August 8 flocked to the U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City for the Dugong Fair, showing their excitement to learn about the species which is currently at risk of extinction.

The fair is part of a campaign launched by the U.S. Consulate since this March to raise people’s awareness on dugong, an aquatic mammal.

Ray Nayler, U.S. Consulate’s environment official told Tuoitrenews that there is a marginal population of dugong left in Vietnam, including around 100 at Phu Quoc Island and 8-12 at Con Dao Insland and dugong is under the risk of being extinct in the next 5 to 10 years.

“Our program hopes to raise the profile of the dugong in Vietnam since many Vietnamese people even didn’t know that the dugong exists. So the first part of the campaign is to make people understand that the dugong exists and get them interested in protecting the animal,” he added.

At the event, books and documentaries on the marine mammal were showcased, together with other activities including quiz, painting and dancing contests. The winner of the logo designing contest titled “Save the Dugong” which attracted hundreds of entries across the country was also announced on the day.

The fair also saw participants from Dang Van Ngu Elementary School and Hoa Hong Orphanage expressing their excitement joining the event. Some of them even proved their knowledge on how to protect the animal.

According to Ray Nayler, the campaign aims to raise awareness not only on dugong but also the marine environment as well as other animals which are at risk of extinction.

“The other idea behind the campaign is to raise the profile of marine protection and the marine environment. It’s not only that the dugong will be protected when you protect the sea grass and the marine environment, sea turtle and tropical fish will be, too.”

After the fair, the U.S Consulate will organize more activities to educate people to protect the environment. Around 2000 dugong books to raise awareness will also be distributed in big cities like HCMC, as well as at Phu Quoc and Con Dao where the dugong mostly exists.