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Plastic Waste Is Turning Beaches And Oceans Into Deadly Minefields For Baby Sea Turtles

  • October 5, 2020
  • News

Newly hatched sea turtles in Florida, US, have enough challenges on their plate – without the added threat of eating lethal amounts of plastic!

A newly published study highlights the harrowing impact that plastic has on baby loggerhead turtles found dead on beaches in Florida. While examining the dead babies’ stomach and intestine contents, it was discovered that 93% had ingested plastic in startling amounts.

Scientists and rehabilitators at The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience and the Sea Turtle Hospital at the University of Florida revealed how one turtle that weighed 1.6 ounces (48 grams) had ingested 287 plastic pieces. Another hatchling that weighed less than one ounce (27 grams) had ingested 119 separate pieces of plastic. The smallest turtle in their study, with a shell just 1.8 inches (4.6 centimeters) long, had ingested a piece of plastic one-fourth the length of its shell.

Plastic can look – and even smell – a lot like the natural foods that make up the diets of sea turtles. A floating plastic bag can easily be mistaken for a tasty jellyfish. While algae coated plastic can smell delicious to plant-eating turtles.

Bags can cause intestinal blockages leaving turtles unable to feed, resulting in starvation, while sharp plastics can rupture organs. Those who survive often suffer lifelong effects. Eating plastic can make turtles unnaturally buoyant, which can stunt their growth and lead to slow reproduction rates.

Entanglement in plastic can easily kill them through drowning or preventing individuals from escaping predators or hunting. Key nesting beaches across the globe are engulfed with plastic trash. It’s a death sentence for baby turtles trying to navigate a sea of litter while trying to reach the ocean.

“Plastic has only been mass-produced since the 1940s, but it’s having a devastating impact on our oceans. Along with turtles, 700 other sea life species are dying including fish, seabirds, and marine mammals,” said David Barritt of Network for Animals (NFA).

“Even the deepest sea creatures like whales can’t escape plastic pollution. What so many don’t realize is that plastic is permanent and indestructible; A plastic packet cast into the ocean doesn’t go away – ever.”

Barritt continued to say there is an urgent need to stop plastic from getting into oceans and to tackle existing marine litter on shorelines across all the continents.

“We all have a responsibility to protect our oceans. Recycling and being more mindful of where, when, and how we dispose of our trash are among the most effective ways in which we can do our part to stop killing the ocean. Because we all know that without the ocean, there is no life on earth,” concluded Barritt.

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A Dog, Three Newborn Pups, Rescued from Rubble in Turkey

Almost a month after earthquakes wreaked havoc in Turkey’s southern province of Hatay, a two-year-old Doberman named Sila and her three newborn puppies miraculously emerged

19 March 2023

The Truth About Cats’ Domestication And Why They Really Quite Like Us

Cats and dogs are the most popular pets in the world, yet the two are completely different in terms of their interactions with us. Unlike

11 March 2023

Your Donations In ACTION: February 2023

Global disasters once again made headlines in February as devastating earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria, and animals were victims of the turmoil. As always, we

5 March 2023

Tech Giant Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over Products Fueling the Donkey Skin Trade

The world’s largest online retailer is facing charges relating to animal violations after selling products containing donkey meat, reports South Africa’s Business Insider. The new

3 March 2023

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Lisa-Mari Spence

Leadership Gifts Officer

Lisa-Mari was raised in South Africa and joined the NFA team as the UK fundraiser after relocating to Greece. With a background in public relations and a passion for helping animals her role at NFA is a perfect match.

Alissa Ford

Director of Leadership Gifts, USA

Alissa is the Director of Leadership Gifts in the United States. She has a background in nonprofit fundraising and marketing, but believes all paths led her to Network for Animals, where she is able to combine her professional experience with her personal passion for animal welfare. Alissa lives in Boston, Massachusetts with her husband and her fur-baby Ollie, who is treated like the prince he thinks he is, since his human brother and sister are grown and now living on their own. Alissa loves speaking to our supporters who she truly considers a community of fellow animal lovers.