This disturbing footage shows a rescued sea turtle defecating plastic and other items after it was rescued, with rescuers having to manually remove one item protruding from its rear end.
The images, filmed at the Turtle Hospital at the Oceanografic’s Animal Recovery and Conservation Area (ARCA) in Valencia, in Spain, show the turtle swimming around a tank with a man-made item sticking out of its bottom.
The clip shows staff scooping up the turtle with a large net and removing the item it was having trouble defecating, with the clip then cutting to other items it passed.
Among the fragments identified were remnants of medicine wrappers, pieces of rubber, and bottle caps.
Its rescuers are pleading for urgent action against ocean pollution, hoping to “give a voice to these events” which are becoming worryingly common.
The Oceanografic de Valencia said in a statement: “Turtle 919 arrived at our ARCA del Mar on 24th February with an air embolism caused by trawling.
“Weeks later, on 13th March, its caretakers detected several large plastic fragments in its faeces.
“Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case. Such incidents are all too common among the turtles admitted to the ARCA del Mar of Fundacion Oceanografic, especially during their first weeks of recovery.
“We invite you to raise awareness of this issue. The more we know about the impact of plastics on the oceans, the more we can do to protect them.”
The species of turtle was not revealed.
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Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash
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