Plastic pollution is a big issue that is affecting thousands of marine animals. We have seen this first hand with one of the loggerhead turtles that we have been rehabilitating. Luckily, our team managed to safely remove the plastic from the juvenile loggerhead turtle and hope it will now be able to eat more and continue to put on weight.
How are Sea Turtles affected?
Sadly, sea turtles are affected by plastic during every stage of their life. They crawl through the plastic on the way to the ocean as hatchlings, swim through it while migrating, confuse it for jellyfish (which is one of their favourite foods), and then crawl back through it as adults.
Thousands of sea turtles, whales, and other marine mammals die each year from ocean pollution and ingestion or entanglement in marine debris. Some plastic can cause blockage, which then creates problems for turtles feeding and can unfortunately led to starvation.
Rubbish is often left on beaches that turtle’s nest on too. Adult sea turtles in many places need to crawl through collected debris to find a place to nest and hatchlings can get caught in the debris trying to make their way to the ocean. Tiny bits of plastic in the sand can also affect nests and hatchlings.
Turtles can also get stuck in plastic as they swim too. Many turtles make long migrations and pass through areas with a lot of ocean plastic. They can get caught in things like six-pack rings or discarded fishing gear.
What can we do at home?
We can all do our bit at home to help tackle the plastic pollution issue. By making small changes, you will be actively helping animals and planet earth.
- Use reusable shopping bags and coffee cups to cut down your consumption of single-use plastic.
- Choose products with less plastic packaging.
- Support businesses that are working to reduce their plastic waste.
You can find more ways to help here.
Visit us this Easter Holiday to see our resident loggerhead turtle, Omiros!