Dugong at Mameng Part 2 - 1

BORN TO BE WILD: Dugong at Mameng
A Three-Part Series

The mysteries continue this Wednesday on BORN TO BE WILD.

Doc Ferds Recio and Kiko Rustia go deep underwater to meet two of the world's rarest sea creatures.

Dugong and Doc

Last Wednesday, Doc Ferds and his team tried scuba diving and snorkeling to capture images of the wild dugong. After being moved by his former patient, a stranded baby dugong named "Zam", it has become Doc's unwritten vow to see them not as ailing or dying animals, but as wild creatures thriving in their natural habitat. It is hoped that a documentation of their natural ways in the wild will contribute to a better understanding of the species, already under the IUCN's red list.

Just when they least expect it, what seems to be a family of dugongs makes an appearance above water while Doc and the local "amihan boys" were surfing the waves of Mati, Davao. This Wednesday, Doc Ferds and the team investigate what these surface activities mean and attempt the more difficult encounter -- face to face with dugongs underwater.

Kiko and Mameng

In Saranggani Province , Kiko Rustia is on a hunt for the elusive mameng, a massive fish said to grow up to nine feet in length. In 2009, Kiko was able to glimpse but a shadow of the mameng in Saranggani Bay. Determined to close this "unfinished business" Kiko and his team go deeper underwater where the mameng is known to dwell. They double up on wet suits and prepare to meet the strong currents, if only to film the endangered fish. The team is ready for anything, even if it means staying underwater at night to catch sight of the mameng as it sleeps. But what they find in this night dive surprises everyone.

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Science & Technology

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