Rescuers praised after hauling young dugong to safety

Key points

• Wildlife rescuers have been praised after freeing a young dugong tangled in a car fanbelt near Exmouth, on Western Australia's north-west coast. Fifteen responders returned the roughly two-metre animal to deeper water in less than 24 hours after it was spotted struggling at Wapet Creek.
• Officials said the animal showed no major signs of distress. Dugongs are endangered, and each one saved may help the wider Exmouth Gulf population.
• Helene Marsh, a conservation scientist, said the species is increasingly under threat across the country.