Turtle poos huge amounts of plastic

A rescued green sea turtle defecated plastic after swallowing large amounts of the indigestible material.

The turtle was found caught in a fishing net near the coastal town of San Clemente del Tuyú in the eastern Argentinian province of Buenos Aires.

The fisherman who found it then called the Mundo Marino foundation, a local aquarium, which sent a rescue team to transport the animal to the centre.

They discovered the turtle’s weight was less than normal, which led vets to carry out blood tests to find out what was wrong.

Though the blood tests showed no abnormalities, hours later the turtle started excreting huge amounts of plastic rubbish.

In a video taken by a staff member, the turtle is seen swimming in a small pool when another staff member lifts it out of the water and plastic is seen coming out of its rear.

"It's worrying to find rubbish inside the digestive system of a turtle," Juan Pablo Loureiro, a vet from the Educative Park of Mundo Marino, told local media.

"You have to bear in mind that the accumulation of garbage creates the feeling of fullness. This makes them weaker and will condition their chances of survival."

After an X-ray confirmed all the plastic had been expelled from its system, the turtle spent time recovering at the foundation before being released into the ocean.

Eleven of the 24 turtles rescued and treated by the foundation this year have defected some plastic during their treatment, according to local media.

It's a worrying statistic.

Source: Magazine Features