The sea animal that captured hearts across Thailand and the world has died, officials told The Guardian.

The dugong developed an infection after eating plastic in the ocean, according to the report.

The rare marine mammal had become a national sensation in the country after it was rescued as an orphan in waters near the province of Krabi in April. Video of the Dugong — named Marium — playing with rescuers went viral.

The creature, a relative of the manatee, had stopped eating and begun to deteriorate rapidly before dying early Saturday. An autopsy confirmed plastic lodged in Marium’s intestines had played a role in the creature’s death.

Dugongs are considered a “vulnerable” species, according to IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and primarily live in coastal regions across Southeast Asia.

“Everyone is sad about this loss,” Nantarika Chansue, director of Chulalongkorn University’s aquatic animal medicine unit in Bangkok told The Guardian. “The thing that needs to be resolved, if we’re going to preserve rare marine animals, is to protect the environment for both people and animals.”