Heartbreaking images of injured sea turtles have emerged online revealing the consequences of human activities.
As the face of numerous anti-plastic campaigns over the past few years, sea turtles have become a strongly protected part of Australia after a graphic video went viral in 2018 of a turtle with a plastic straw stuck up its nose.
The reptiles are endangered due to recent human activities and lifestyles, which has left turtles without habitat, caught in various types of rubbish and without food due to overfishing.
This type of impact could be seen in recent footage shared on TikTok, with two boys putting their day out on the water on hold to save a turtle stuck in plastic.
The turtle (pictured) is seen to be ‘wrapped up’ in numerous pieces of litter, unable to swim
In the video, the boys could be seen jumping out of the boat and gently picking up the turtle.
One said that it was ‘all wrapped up’ with another asking his mate filming for a knife.
The turtle was caught in an astonishing mix of rope, fishing net and a plastic buoy.
The two mates worked quickly to get the turtle free, saying ‘if you hold his arm, I’ll twist’, reassuring the reptile that they were ‘just helping’ it.
One of the boys was seen smiling and joking when he said ‘I think he gets it, I think he understands [what I’m saying]’.
Eventually the boys managed to get the turtle free, with the reptile quickly taking off back into the open ocean.
Amazingly, the turtle seemed to understand what they were saying as it gave its helpers a wave with two front flippers before diving off.
The boys shared a high five as they whooped gleefully, yelling out ‘cya big fella!’
The moral of the video was short and sweet – captioned ‘Please pick up your rubbish so our wildlife don’t suffer!’
Alongside littering, human activities can have a devastating impact on turtle populations.
A massive female Loggerhead turtle, estimated to be at least 40 years old, recently washed up on the shores of Botany Bay in Sydney after being fatally wounded by a boat strike.
The wildlife charity that found her body on Wednesday said she ‘didn’t stand a chance’ after being hit by the propellers.
The 175kg Loggerhead turtle (pictured) died after a boat strike left it ‘fatally wounded’, post-mortem revealed
The Australian Seabird & Turtle Rescue South Coast Branch posted photos of the huge reptile, weighing 175kg, with the organisation estimating it to be around 40-50 years old.
The animal rescue service shared the tragic photos, captioning the ‘heartbreaking loss’ with a warning – ‘If you’re out on a boat please be aware of wildlife around you and slow down’.
‘A massive effort’ was put in by the rescuers to transport the turtle to ‘establish cause of death’ with the autopsy revealing the turtle ‘was otherwise very healthy’ but ‘didn’t stand a chance of surviving those injuries’.
The post finished up by saying it was a ‘very sad day for all involved’, labelling the incident ‘a tragic waste.’