Another one sea turtle was saved by Blue Conservancy, the non-profit organization that deals with the rescue, care and rehabilitation of sea turtles found in difficulty in Calabria and the Strait of Messina. The latest intervention led to the rescue of a Caretta caretta trapped in a plastic bag. “The latest sea turtle we recovered is called “Paloma” and the report came from Punta Pellaro, locality south of Reggio Calabria. It is a Caretta caretta of about 10 kg which was spotted in difficulty on the shoreline by two people who were on the beach”, reads a post on the organization’s Facebook page, which provides details of the rescue.
“When we arrived on site we immediately realized that it was the turtle trapped in a white plastic bag (used for flour or feed) and had a very deep lesion on the right front limb. People also told us that the turtle also had a fishing hook in mouthbut we were unable to locate it,” tells about the organization.
“After loading it into the tank and transporting it to the Sea Turtle Recovery Center in Brancaleone, the turtle was subjected to in-depth investigations and we immediately realized that the hook was actually no longer there because it was probably extracted by someone on the spot, but it was in the mouth There remained a large hole caused by the barb and a heap of coagulated blood on the wound. Then, the turtle had taken a longline hook and subsequently became trapped in a plastic bag that was on the surface. Fortunately, the south-westerly wind pushed the Caretta to beach, with a contrary wind, she would have gone out to sea and faced certain death”, explain the Blue Conservancy experts.
“Fishing with longlines or nets, followed by plastic pollution, are the main threats to sea turtles. As Blue Conservancy we are involved in various awareness projects for adults and children. The aim is to try to reduce the impact on these animals by increasing awareness of the problem”concludes the organization.
Continue reading on MeteoWeb
