Rescued turtle found pooping out a ton of plastic particles
- 4 years ago
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA — A green sea turtle was rescued off the coast of Buenos Aires after it was entangled in a fishing net at the end of last month, according to the Mundo Marino Foundation, an Argentinian conservation organization.
Researchers took X-rays of the turtle's belly and found that its digestive tract was clogged up with a bunch of plastic trash such as nylon bags and netting.
The turtle was promptly treated with medication to get everything flowing smoothly again. It then spent the next month pooping out over 13 grams of plastic waste.
The organization said in a statement that this is the equivalent of 26 plastic straws or 2.5 credit cards.
Researchers said the turtle is healthy now and has been feasting on greens such as lettuce and seaweed instead of abandoned plastic waste.
The Argentinian organization explained that they previously found two other green turtles with plastic in their digestive tracts.
One of the turtles was found dead with plastic waste in its belly while the other was taken in by the organization after which it dumped out a fragment of a plastic bag.
The green turtle has been listed as an endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, mainly due to the threat of plastic pollution and habitat degradation.
Researchers took X-rays of the turtle's belly and found that its digestive tract was clogged up with a bunch of plastic trash such as nylon bags and netting.
The turtle was promptly treated with medication to get everything flowing smoothly again. It then spent the next month pooping out over 13 grams of plastic waste.
The organization said in a statement that this is the equivalent of 26 plastic straws or 2.5 credit cards.
Researchers said the turtle is healthy now and has been feasting on greens such as lettuce and seaweed instead of abandoned plastic waste.
The Argentinian organization explained that they previously found two other green turtles with plastic in their digestive tracts.
One of the turtles was found dead with plastic waste in its belly while the other was taken in by the organization after which it dumped out a fragment of a plastic bag.
The green turtle has been listed as an endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, mainly due to the threat of plastic pollution and habitat degradation.