Sea Turtle Found Dead With Stomach Full Of Plastic

A sea turtle was found dead on a beach with a stomach full of plastic.

The five-year-old turtle was found on Somprasong beach in Chonburi, eastern Thailand.

Veterinarian Kirin Sornpipatcharoen examined the dead turtle and found its belly full of plastic, including bags and food wrappers.

He said: "The turtle's stomach was full of plastic garbage.

"Most of the pieces looked like the tentacles of jellyfish, which might have confused the turtle into believing that they were food.

"We're sure that the plastic in the stomach contributed to or caused the tragic death of the turtle."

The Cuvier's beaked whale was found dead in the Compostela Valley in March.

An autopsy was carried out and its cause of death was found to be dehydration and starvation due to swallowing so much plastic.

"Forty kilos roughly of rice sacks, grocery bags, banana plantation bags, and general plastic bags. Sixteen rice sacks total. It was so big; the plastic was beginning calcification."

Disturbing images from the autopsy showed mounds of plastic that had been removed from the dead whale's stomach.

Blatchley added: "In the last 10 years we have recovered 61 whales and dolphins, of which 57 have died due to fishing nets, dynamite fishing, and plastic garbage. Four were pregnant. This cannot continue. The Philippines needs to change from the children up or nothing will be left."

The team who carried out the autopsy had the grim job of documenting each item that had been removed from the whale, with an aim to learn more about plastic pollution.

Blatchley said: "Doing this is not just for our gain but mainly to give education and for people to realise how magnificent these animals are."