A group of divers make a casual dive. What they find in the ocean is horrifying.

Delon Lim and some of his friends were diving off of the coast of Kokoya, a remote island in Indonesia, when they came upon a horrific sight. Under the water, they found several cages, and in the cages were two dugongs – a type of rare marine mammal that is closely related to the manatee. The animals were both in separate underwater cages, and the older of the two was tied to the cage by a rope around her tail. The second one appeared to be her calf, and was not tied up.

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They discovered that the two animals had been trapped by a local fisherman, who was trying to profit off of them by charging visiting divers to see them or take photos. They were allowed to enter the cages, where they took photos and videos of the sad sight. When they told the fisherman that the animals were a protected species and needed to be released, he agreed, but the group wasn’t convinced. They posted their photos and videos on social media, and soon wildlife authorities contacted them for the location. Sure enough, when the authorities got there, the animals were still being held captive, but not for long.

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The wildlife authorities were able to release the dugongs back into the wild where they will hopefully live long and happy lives, not to be bothered by greedy fishermen again.

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h/t hefty