A Sea Cow Goes to Court. Extinction and Animal Agency in a Struggle Against Militarism

In Japan’s southernmost prefecture, Okinawa, the Japanese government is constructing a new military base for United States Marine Corps despite ongoing local opposition and protest. Sea grass beds, which are potential feeding grounds of critically endangered Okinawa dugong, situated within construction area. Because its critical status close to regional extinction, dugong was declared Natural Monument Japan in 1972, arguably putting it under protection National Historic Preservation Act context construction. Based on this assumption, dugong’s cultural significance people issue brought an American court, rare case where animal plays central role lawsuit dealing with property. Eduardo Kohn’s anthropology beyond human his thoughts life as semiotic process article explores entanglements between dugongs people. I argue that play active role. Through their interpretation generated indexical signs at site resulting behaviour, these animals give humans opportunity convert presence absence into sphere symbolic interaction.