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Koh Libong, Thailand (CNN) — For much of 2019, Thailand’s biggest internet celebrity was an aquatic mammal with a nose resembling a vacuum cleaner nozzle.Marium the infant dugong, from her dolphin-like tail to her stubby snout, was a grey and pink superstar. She went viral after being rescued in April in Thailand’s Krabi province, where she’d been spotted by local residents, drifting near a beach, skeleton-skinny and alone. Veterinarians from Thailand’s Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) determined that Marium was orphaned, as dugongs usually stay with their mothers until they are 18 months old. Only 200-250 dugongs — which resemble manatees but live in the sea rather than fresh water — live in Thai waters, with the species listed as vulnerable to extinction.The vets, determined to save the rare creature, moved Marium to Koh Libong: an island in the Andaman Sea with around 4,000 largely pro-dugong humans living on it. The water’s abundance of seagrass, the animals’ main food, has resulted in around 70% of Thailand’s dugongs living around the island.Park officials and veterinarians care for Marium in the waters off Koh Libong in southern Thailand. SIRACHAI ARUNRUGSTICHAI/AFP/Getty ImagesWith only a smattering of resorts, alcohol scant due to locals being mainly Muslim, and absolutely no full moon parties, Koh Libong receives far fewer tourists than nearby islands such as Koh Lanta. Ride a scooter over jungle paths to one of its ruggedly beautiful northern beaches, and your only companions are likely to be monitor lizards and macaques.Marium’s presence, though, placed new focus on the area. The vets cared for her 24/7, standing in the ocean in wetsuits to feed her sea grass and milk formula, and encouraging her to swim. Headline variations of “Thailand falls in love with orphaned baby dugong” ran on news sites, as the DMCR set up cameras broadcasting Marium’s splashy antics, declaring her “the nation’s sweetheart”.There was optimism that the attention could prompt authorities to increase funding for dugong conservation across Thailand. Such efforts, it was hoped, might dovetail with the effects of new marine animal-friendly laws such as a ban on Thai retailers giving customers plastic bags, implemented in January 2020.But on August 16 Marium died, with vets finding plastic trash in her stomach. Online mourners replaced heart-eyed emojis with pixelated tears, as Koh Libong faded from the Thai public’s attention.Raised among dugongsFor many Koh Libong residents, dugongs were a big part of life long before Marium showed up. During a visit to the island in August of 2019, locals near a dugong-spotting tower in a rickety fishing village broke into happy chatter when the species was mentioned.”As kids we’d search for snails near the shore and see dugongs every day,” says Suwanee Jiemai, a smiley seafood business manager wearing a blue hijab. “We played with them like they were babies.”As well as their Pokemon character-like appearances, dugongs’ inquisitive instincts helped them bond with the islanders. The animals are covered in tactile hairs, which are believed to make them sensitive to touch and keen to nuzzle. Off Koh Libong, where dugong-watching boat trips are offered and various dugong spotting platforms have been erected, the creatures regularly seek out vessels to give them friendly nudges.”Sometimes dugongs crash into my boat,” says clam diver Wit Jilao, gesticulating excitedly by a coffee stall on the village pier. “Sometimes they crash into me! We name them — one’s called Laai [which translates to ‘Pattern’] because he has patterns on his side.”When we see them in trouble we help, releasing them from nets or taking them back to water when they’re stranded. We feel like they’re friends, and everyone in the village protects them. We feel a bond between humans and dugongs here.”Koh Libong offers dugong viewing platforms and boat tours. Jack TaylorLarge dugongs can weigh over 300 kilograms. Having flippers not equipped to move their bodies without water buoying them, they regularly get stranded on Koh Libong during low tide. Locals have set up messaging app groups where they report sightings of the beached animals to each other, then mobilize teams to carry them to the ocean.Human-dugong relations weren’t always so friendly on the island. Locals used to eat the creatures, which were easy to spear because they approached boats. According to Jiemai, from 1992, when dugongs became legally protected, the islanders largely took them off the menu. Myths such as dugong tears being useful for casting love charms, and their teeth bringing luck, became less prominent.Now evidence of dugong hunting around the island is rarely found, and causes uproar when uncovered. In 2017 rangers there found a dugong corpse in a mangrove, saying it proved that the creatures were still killed for meat and body part trading. Some residents reacted by claiming that the evidence was planted. The suggestion that some locals still killed dugongs was seemingly too offensive to contemplate.The Marium ProjectMarium’s former carers hope that her death will not have been in vain. Despite the good intentions of the Koh Libong residents, dugongs, of which there are believed to be around 7,300 globally, still face many dangers in Thailand. At least 21 dugongs have been found dead in Thai waters in 2019: a record high since records began in the country. Most of the deaths were caused by fishing nets.”Fishing areas often overlap with dugong habitats,” says Nantarika Chansue, director of Chulalongkorn University’s aquatic animal medicine unit in Bangkok. “We’re hoping for change from top to bottom — not only the behavior of people but changing policy, laws and enforcement.”This picture taken in May 2019 shows Marium swiming in the waters around Koh Libong. SIRACHAI ARUNRUGSTICHAI/AFP via Getty ImagesThailand’s government has made noises about positive change since Marium’s death, with a conservation plan dubbed ‘The Marium Project’ awaiting cabinet approval. Varawut Silpa-archa, Thailand’s natural resources and environment minister, said he wanted the country’s dugong population raised to 400. Change could involve banning fishing equipment dangerous to dugongs in zones around in the country beyond Koh Libong’s waters.For now, though, close to the helpful humans living on Koh Libong remains the safest place for a Thai dugong to be. Marium was, says Jiemai, “an ambassador for dugongs. But we feel attached to every dugong in this area. They’re in our hearts.”Getting thereFrom Trang — the closest Thai mainland city to Koh Libong with an airport and railway station — take a taxi to Hat Yao pier (40 minutes, around 550 baht via the Grab app). At the pier catch the longtail ferry to Koh Libong (25 minutes, 40 baht), which leaves when full, usually departing every one to two hours from roughly 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. To avoid waiting hire a private longtail from the pier to the island (around 550 baht).

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As human beings, we are complex and difficult to understand. But sometimes, looking back at where we came from and discovering the successes, struggles and sacrifices of our ancestors can make that puzzle a bit more complete.For young black people, that discovery can mean the world. “National Black History Month often focuses on the past, but this is about creating an infrastructure so that we can help people transform their futures,” Birthright AFRICA co-founder Diallo Shabazz told CNN.”This isn’t about validating black identity. It’s about providing an opportunity for people to explore their ancestry. “An education you can’t find at schoolOne of Birthright AFRICA’s most important goals is giving young scholars the knowledge that the American school system often fails to provide.Those who go on the trip visit cultural sites, museums, universities, and organizations managed and led by people of African descent to learn about the “historic and present-day resilience and brilliance of their heritage often lacking in our school curriculums,” according to Birthright AFRICA co-founder and CEO Walla Elsheikh.While it’s been more than a half a century since the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education ruling found that “separate but equal” has no place in US public schools, true racial equality in our education system has yet to exist.Schools with more black students are less likely to provide counselors, offer advanced classes, and hire teachers with proper licenses. Consequently, black students are more likely to be absent from school and get suspended. Although black students in colleges have more access (and freedom) to choose their own courses, when it comes to study abroad programs, the lack of diversity and equal opportunities continues.”Only 6% of study abroad students are black or of African descent. And only 2% of US managers, leaders, and entrepreneurs are of African descent,” Elsheikh said.”To address this gap in diversity and talent, Birthright AFRICA is creating the next generation of global leaders and entrepreneurs that are proud of their African heritage, confident in their innovative aspirations and connected to the African continent.””My life will never be the same”While tourists visiting Africa are more likely to remember the food or safaris, those who have taken the birthright trip have something else to cherish.For Shaina Louis, a 23-year-old Haitian student born and raised in New York, her birthright trip to Ghana in 2018 as a student at the City University of New York gave her one thing she’d never expected to find: closure. “Prior to Birthright Africa, I had a lot of pent up resentment and antagonism due to a history that I felt my people had no say in. For those of us in the diaspora, our history, according to the textbooks, starts with slavery. I was doubtful and kind of cynical about what the future held not only for me as an individual, but also for black people as a whole,” Louis told CNN.After years of wondering where she fit in in a world where her ancestors were “stifled” and doubting the connection between Africa and those whose were forced to leave, Louis finally got the answers to all of her unspoken questions.”We may not speak the same language, but the foods we eat, the way we carry ourselves, the way we relate to one another, and our deeply ingrained spirituality reflect a bond that is still there,” she said. “There is a sense of inner peace and ease I now have, that wasn’t there before. I can move forward with my life, with intention behind everything I do.”Kareem Williams, a 26-year-old scholar who went to Ghana on his birthright trip in 2019 as a participant of community-based GrowHouse NYC, said he felt extremely disconnected from his Jamaican roots while growing up in New York. What surprised Williams the most, he said, was the kindness he received from people in the country. Unlike the “feeling of separation” he’s experienced in the US, for once, he felt like he belonged. “Before I had even touched down in Ghana, the energy I felt as I got closer to Africa, I felt a rush, a vibration, and it was so strong,” Williams said. “It felt like something was pulling me towards the country. It felt surreal.”Visiting Ghana, he said, made him feel that he had a place where he didn’t have to “constantly face resistance,” an environment — and a system — that would help him thrive instead of hold him back.”It has to do with the American system. There’s so much prejudice and micro aggressions that I didn’t feel in Ghana. I felt so connected to my ancestors for the first time. When I came back to the US, I realized how much it changed me. Like my life will never be the same.”Now, Williams says he plans to someday return to Africa in hopes of getting into a position where he can become a global leader with the ability to influence reform, economic decisions, and infrastructure to collaboratively strengthen African businesses and communities. What it takes to take a birthright trip to AfricaTo take a birthright trip to Africa, you have to be a US citizen and between 13 to 30 years old.You also have to be of African descent; this includes African American, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Europeans, Afro-Asian and Afro-Latinx, according to Elsheikh.”We consider all black people of African descent,” Elsheikh said. “Our target groups are those who have been negatively impacted by the traumatizing enslavement and colonization of black people.”Birthright AFRICA collaborates with high school, college, or community-based organization who are then considered “partners.” These educational partners select the participants and the country they will visit as part of the Birthright AFRICA program.Anyone who isn’t already a part of one of these education partners can register through the Birthright AFRICA website which will then redirect them to a partner in their area with available spaces where they can apply. Those who take the trip to Africa get to go for free — flights, hotels, food, and costs of museums are covered by Birthright AFRICA and the educational partners.For those who aren’t interested in a trip but would like to help fund them, Birthright AFRICA heavily relies on donations to make these life-changing trips possible.CNN’s Saeed Ahmed contributed to this report.

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(CNN) — When a little boy accidentally left his stuffed bear named Teddy on a flight from Dallas to New Orleans over the Thanksgiving holiday, he was crushed. Grayson and his teddy bear did everything together. His mom, Christina Mulligan, did what any mom would do. She tried to get Teddy back.”I was in contact with all of the baggage claim, TSA, I think I called the lost and found repeatedly,” she told CNN. “Every time I called, they were like, ‘Is this about the bear?'”She posted on the Southwest Airlines Facebook page asking for help. Maybe a flight attendant had seen him or another passenger on the plane had picked him up. What she didn’t know at the time was that the New Orleans airport was overwhelmed with calls from employees and strangers. Everyone just trying to find Teddy. “I freaked out,” Grayson Mulligan told CNN affiliate KTVT. “I play with him a lot,” he said. “I carry him around a lot.”A month went by and still — nothing. That’s until the end of December when Christina received a call from a corporate employee at Southwest Airlines, who told her that her post caught a lot of attention on private Southwest pages and even made its way to some executives. Christina told CNN that apparently a flight attendant found Teddy on the plane and handed him off to somebody at the airport but after that he was nowhere to be found. Teddy never made it to the Lost and Found. But Southwest had something else in store: a new bear with a story all his own. “They said, ‘We’d love to give Grayson a new bear,’ and I was on board with it,” she said.”I felt happy because I know they cared a lot about me,” Grayson told KTVT. “And I have some flight attendant bears too.”Southwest AirlinesHe named his new bear Jack. “Because he looked like a Jack to me,” he said.And Jack had quite an adventure before getting to Grayson.Christina shared the photos that Southwest sent to Grayson on her Facebook page. They showed Jack working on the tarmac at Dallas Love Field, inspecting cockpits, preparing the cabin for passengers, booking the flight, and yes, even standing in line. “We love connecting people to what’s important in their lives, and our employees put their servant’s heart on display to help make Grayson’s day. We are proud to have played a small role in bringing Grayson and Jack together,” Southwest Airlines said in statement to CNN.”This is his favorite airline,” she said. “Grayson’s even been to the facility with a pilot friend and has been in one of the flight simulators when he was four or five.” When Grayson read Jack’s story, he cried. “He said, ‘I’m getting a new bear,’ it was just so sweet,” Christina said. “He’s always wanted to be a Southwest pilot,” she added. “They don’t even know that part.”

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Idiotic TV shows and all the latest apps bumming you out on the 21st century? Ready for some “me time” on the world’s remotest islands?Forget golden sands and swaying palms — the reality of solitude is different as these distant landfalls demonstrate.1. Tristan da CunhaCourtesy Tristan da Cunha Tourism Office1,750 miles from South AfricaThe British island group of Tristan da Cunha stands profoundly alone in the South Atlantic. The nearest landfall is South Africa, 1,750 miles east, and to the west, South America is more than 2,000 miles.It’s the world’s most remote inhabited island chain — so precariously occupied that when a volcanic vent erupted in 1961, the whole population was evacuated to England.Reaching Tristan da Cunha: This is no easygoing excursion. To quote the official website, “There are no package tours for independent travelers, no hotels, no airport, no holiday reps, no night clubs, no restaurants, no jet skis nor safe sea swimming.”All visitors need to clear their arrivals in advance through the Island Council, and they also need to obtain a police certificate. (A 40-day wait is typical.)There are around 10 sailings a year from Cape Town, South Africa, and Namibia, each taking five to six days to reach the islands; it costs $800-$1,500 for a round trip. A list of available ships can be found on the website..2. Bear IslandLongyearbyen is the seat of Norwegian local administration in Svalbard.Chris Jackson/Getty Images400 miles off Europe’s north coastBjornoya, better known as Bear Island, is the southernmost island in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, 400 miles north of mainland Europe — but only on paper, given that it’s almost 150 miles south of the Norwegian island chain with which it’s lumped.It’s been a nature reserve since 2002 and has a lively history of failed occupation — hard to believe for a place of barren cliffs, near-zero precipitation and risk of leaks of radioactive material from the nearby wreck of a nuclear submarine.Reaching Bear Island: Getting to the heart of Svalbard is a relatively simple matter — there are daily flights from Oslo and Tromso to Svalbard’s capital, Longyearbyen, on the west coast of Spitsbergen.Now it gets tricky. Research vessels infrequently call on Bear Island (the Norwegian Polar Institute makes an occasional appearance), while individually chartered boats and the occasional adventure cruise (such as this one from Polar Quest) haul in the remaining visitors.3. Bouvet1,000 miles from AntarcticaTristan da Cunha is the remotest inhabited island in the world — now, welcome to its uninhabited, far bleaker counterpart.Its cliffs are sheer. It’s almost entirely covered by a glacier. In winter, its seas are pack ice.And its nearest neighbor is Antarctica, 1,000 miles to the south. In short, idyllic.Reaching Bouvet: The entire island is a nature reserve — so unless you can make a compelling case for visiting, you’ll be blocked by Norwegian authorities.Get permission, and it’s now a simple matter of finding a research vessel, quickly mastering a valuable skill such as arctic geological surveying or marine biology and then getting someone to land you via helicopter. (There are no ports or harbors.)If all else fails, try becoming an amateur radio enthusiast: In 1990, a multinational expedition of operators spent 16 days on the island.4. Bishop RockRichard Knights/Wikimedia Commons30 miles from EnglandRegarded by Guinness as the world’s smallest island with a building on it, Bishop Rock stands at the end of Britain’s Isles of Scilly, where coastal waters give way to the fury of the Atlantic.In 1847, engineers started building an iron lighthouse there — and it washed away in a storm. Its extraordinary successor, first lit in 1858, stands to this day.Reaching Bishop Rock: Visiting the most southwesterly point in Britain is surprisingly easy — the St. Mary’s Boatsmen’s Association runs day trips.5. BorerayCourtesy www.rcahms.gov.uk60 miles off mainland ScotlandLove the Scottish islands, but want something with a little more bite? Head west of the Outer Hebrides, and you’ll find the archipelago of St. Kilda, 40 miles into the Atlantic.It’s one of Scotland’s five World Heritage sites, with a main island that was abandoned in the 1930s when crops failed. Imagine the surprise of archaeologists when they found that one of the least hospitable islands, Boreray, was occupied in prehistoric times.Reaching Boreray: Since Boreray comes under the protection of the National Trust for Scotland, you need its permission to visit.Then? Lots of time and lots of luck — with a rugged shoreline and savage sea swell, this isn’t an island built for landings.According to one guide, more people have reached the summit of Everest than have landed at Boreray since the National Trust took ownership in 1957.6. North Sentinel Island400 miles from MyanmarNorth Sentinel is one of the 572 islands making up the Andaman chain in the Indian Ocean’s Bay of Bengal.It’s surrounded by dangerous reefs, but North Sentinel is intimidating because of its inhabitants. The Sentinelese want nothing to do with the modern world and have repeatedly rebuffed attempts to make peaceful contact.Reaching North Sentinel Island: You’re kidding, right? If the above description didn’t put you off, this article about a pair of fishermen who strayed onto the island certainly should.7. RockallAnilocra/Wikimedia Commons270 miles from IrelandIf you think Boreray sounds forbidding, try sailing 187 miles west of it. Rockall is the tip of an extinct volcano reaching 20 meters (about 65 feet) above sea level, in seas with waves recorded as high as 29 meters (95 feet).In 1955, the British Empire, in its final territorial acquisition, seized Rockall — allegedly due to fears the Soviets would build a missile battery on it.Reaching Rockall: In the words of the recently minted Rockall Club, “visiting Rockall is difficult, completely weather dependent and not cheap.”Your best bet is contacting Kilda Cruises and arranging a tailor-made excursion. Or you could sail there, lash yourself to the rock and claim it as your very own micronation — but you wouldn’t be the first.

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(CNN) — A shepherd guides her herd during a magnificent sunset in the ancient city of Bagan in central Burma.Camels and revels gather in the Dahna desert at Saudi Arabia’s annual King Abdulaziz Camel Festival.A solitary surfer paddles across the waters of Cape Verde’s Praia de Cruz beach.It’s a big and amazing world out there, full of spectacular destinations. And with the ongoing revolution in camera technology, there’s never been a better time to soak it all in than right now.At its best, travel photography inspires, intrigues and informs. It sets us on armchair adventures. It can spur us to actually plan a dream trip we’ve long sought to take. Or pictures can reveal a possible new journey that captures our imagination.These photos not only show the natural and human-made beauty of our world, but they can also give us a glimpse of other people and cultures and the beauty within the human race.Thousands of amazing images cross our computer screens each year, and in this space we share our favorites from 2020.So when you’re keen to see another beautiful part of the world — Mexico’s Palenque, India’s Dal Lake, Cape Verde’s Boa Vista — return here for inspiration.

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Since his days on the campaign trail, the anti-establishment, populist leader has vowed to sell his country’s luxurious presidential plane, arguing that it cost taxpayers millions of dollars that could be better spent on helping the country’s poorer communities.But since López Obrador’s inauguration in 2018, Mexico’s presidential aircraft has sat unused, collecting dust. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Boeing 787-8 plane has proved particularly tough to sell. (The $130 million aircraft is pricey.)Attempts to sell it to the United States or Canada or exchange it for medical equipment have so far been unsuccessful.And the costs of storing and maintaining the jet are racking up.A $130 million plane could cost about $27Mexico’s President unveiled the design for the raffle tickets in his latest plan to sell the $130 million presidential jet.CEPROPIESo López Obrador has proposed another way to offload the plane.He wants to raffle off the plane to his constituents, selling tickets for about $27 each. The goal is to sell six million tickets. López Obrador unveiled a design for the raffle tickets on Tuesday.The raffle ticket features a photo of the plane with the words “Gran Sorteo Especial,” or Great Special Raffle, while also commemorating the 158th anniversary of Battle of Puebla. At the bottom of the ticket, the text reads, “It’s a cooperation for medical equipment and hospitals where poor people are treated.” A telenovela starring the planeThe raffle is among a few plans regarding how to offload the plane, which also include making a TV soap about the plane’s case. He added that it was important to remember the jet wasn’t bought during his administration, but during a “pharaonic” government.López Obrador said he would make a final decision on what to do with the plane on February 15th. The airplane, named José María Morelos y Pavón, was purchased by the Mexican government in 2012 for $218.7 million under then-President Felipe Calderón. The hefty price tag caused some controversy in Mexico, and it wasn’t put into use until 2016 , after former president Enrique Peña Nieto commissioned a study that determined the government would lose a lot of money on a sale of the aircraft.Photos of the plane show wide leather seats, a double bed and a spacious bathroom with a shower.Elected on a anti-corruption platformLópez Obrador was elected in a landslide victory in 2018 on a platform of fighting corruption.During his swearing-in, López Obrador reaffirmed his intentions to not live in the presidential palace, which he said had become a symbol of luxury and opulence in a country where nearly 42 percent of the people live in poverty, according to government figures. He opted to live in his own house and turned the palace into a museum open to the public. He also said he would receive only 40% of his presidential salary.CNN’s Andrea Diaz and Rafael Romo contributed to this report.

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