Ocean Sentry
(From ntnews.com.au)- The adult female Olive Ridley turtle – believed to be up to 90 years old – was spotted in distress near a reef off Dundee Beach, about 120km southwest of Darwin on Monday. It is believed she may have swallowed a plastic bag.
Ark practice manager Lisa Hansen said the 50kg turtle – nicknamed Emma – was in such a bad way that she would have not lasted another day at sea.
“Plastic bags rot inside them and an acid forms on the lungs, and they develop pneumonia.
“It causes them to get trapped at the surface and suffer exhaustion and sunburn repeatedly trying to dive back underwater,” Ms Hansen said.
(by REBEKAH CAVANAGH)
