Sea turtle hatchling defecates pure plastics for six days

For six days, a sea turtle hatchling with only three flippers defecated pure plastics, said Sydney-based Taronga Wildlife Hospital in a statement on its official Facebook page on July 28.

The new male baby turtle was found lying on his back on the Tamarama Beach with a missing back right flipper. However, having only three flippers does not prevent him from swimming, and he is in a good condition, the hospital said in the statement.

The hospital will keep him for a while until he grows up enough to go to his natural habitat. “This guy, I just say luck was on his side. And he excreted all of it [the plastics] out. So we are really lucky with that,” said a carer at the hospital. 

Some of excreted plastics were very hard and sharp “and could have caused serious internal damage, so the turtle is lucky to be alive,” the statement continued.

It is estimated by researchers that 50 percent of sea turtles in the world eat plastics, as they cannot differentiate between floating plastic and jellyfish or algae, said the World Wildlife Fund, noting that plastics could be “a death sentence” to sea turtles and could cause rupture of some internal organs or intestinal blockages.

Marine litter and plastic waste are rapidly increasing, said the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), adding, “Without meaningful action, emissions of plastics into aquatic ecosystems are projected to nearly triple by 2040.”