Biscuit wrapper kills giant leatherback turtle

7 Mar 2011

A giant leatherback turtle that washed up on the Thai Andaman Sea shore last Wednesday died after eating discarded rubbish. A post mortem conducted on the corpse of the magnificent 196kg marine creature has revealed that that its digestive system was full of plastic bags, fish hooks and other detritus.

Phuket Marine Biology Centre’s head veterinarian, Dr Pacharaporn Kaewmong, said that when colleagues cut the rare turtle open there were six plastic bags in its stomach, as well as the hooks and some green plastic sheeting. The vets said that the reptile was unable to digest food due to the plastic, but the most serious blockage had been caused by a bag which still bore the legend ‘Made in Indonesia’.

Dr Pacharaporn said the turtle probably thought the plastic bags were jellyfish and the sheeting was seaweed. The doctor added that it was a crying shame that so much trash is callously dropped into the sea and produces such tragic outcomes.

The biology centre’s specialists estimated that the turtle was around 15 years old and ascertained that it was male and had one deformed flipper. Leatherbacks were once abundant in the waters of the Andaman all the way up from Krabi, past Phuket Island to Phang Nga.

The mothers of the turtles used to hatch their young at regional beaches such as Thai Muang and Mai Khao, but this is no longer the case as humans have steadily polluted their marine environment with plastic, fishing trawler nets and other garbage.

Tags: Biscuit wrapper, giant, turtle, digestive system, kills