We have tried over the years to cut down on plastic usage. We have been told it’s bad for the environment, as well as wildlife.
A plastic bag or a plastic fork can be so useful, yet so dangerous at the same time.
Recently, Gumbo Limbo Nature Center shared a heartbreaking photo of a turtle that died in their care.
In Boca Raton, Florida, a nature center said the turtle was a “washback.” This is a turtle that makes it out into the ocean but then is washed back to shore.
“We have had 121 in our facility,” Whitney Crowder, a sea turtle rehabilitation coordinator at the nature center, told the Sun Sentinel. “I can’t even count how many have passed. Dozens have died.”
Perhaps what’s most upsetting about the dozens that have died though, is that according to the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, “100% of our washbacks that didn’t make it had plastic in their intestinal tracts.”
The center shared an image of one of the baby turtles alongside 104 pieces of plastic that were found inside the turtle.
“This is a sad reminder that we all need to do our part to keep our oceans plastic free,” they wrote.
Despite how shocking it is to think that all 104 pieces came from a turtle’s intestinal tract that could fit in your palm, it is true.
Turtles ingest plastic, which gets stuck and causes them to go into septic shock, according to Gumbo Limbo Nature Center.
The best way to prevent washbacks is to properly dispose of plastic, reduce the amount of single-use plastic we use, and pick up trash and deposit it appropriately.
If you’re tired of seeing marine life suffer as a result of recklessly disposing of plastic and garbage, share this photo on Facebook. Maybe it will change people’s minds.
