Turtles are ancient creatures, having lived in the oceans for hundreds of millions of years. They out-survived the dinosaurs and predate the crocodile. Some can live for hundreds of years, survive without food for months on end, and migrate hundreds of thousands of kilometers in a lifetime. But will they survive cohabitation with man? Things aren’t looking good. Tragically, to us, they are edible, decorative, medicinal, defenseless, and recklessly eat our garbage.
Like the Salmon, they must lay their eggs where they were born themselves, irrespective of our new marina and beachfront hotel. Hatchlings are attracted to light, naturally drawn to water’s edge and away from shadowy sand dunes, but increasingly they come to grief, disorientated by the floodlit beachside carpark.
This young Flat-backed turtle was washed up at Tyagarah after a storm. At this age he would normally be swimming in tropical waters of the far north, and Seaworld willingly arranged a flight back to his native habitat: happy ending.
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Green sea turtles, more common in our area, take up to 50 years to reach puberty and lay eggs every 9 or so years. A clutch of eggs hatched in the middle of main beach several years ago in March. Mum had discretely buried them around new years eve, dodging paralytic teenagers and groping couples. These sage, old creatures carry on with their peaceful lives, disregarding the frivolous antics of our flash-in-the-pan civilization.
They dine on sea grasses and jellyfish, which bear a striking resemblance to the plastic shopping bag. The lucky ones choke and die immediately, while others suffer miserably for up to months, with abdominal pain and nausea, as as the bowel is slowly impacted and strangled by garbage.
One such turtle, a teenager, ended up in our care. Barnacles on the carapace an indication she had been sick and floating for over a month; X-rays confirmed an impacted bowel; she died within a day. Nic’s post-mortem demonstrated the ugly truth.
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For scale, the while paper is A4 – the total amount of plastic was about a quarter of a bag. Is that the bait bag you dropped when fishing last? Or maybe it’s the one that blew away at the beach a few years ago?
It’s almost as if the plastic bag was specifically designed by man to eradicate the turtle. Of course that isn’t the case – plastic bags are critically important for our shopping activities, we may starve without them, and what happens after disposal is simply not my responsibility.
Much of our seaborne plastic is migrating to the northern pacific, congregating as a massive toxic floatilla the size of Texas. Fortunately it sits in international waters, so we can dodge responsibility.
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A post-mortem study of elderly turtles revealed an absence of any of the age-associated degenerative changes seen other species . Microscopically, the tissues of the young and old are almost indistinguishable, stirring the interest of research scientists hungry for the elixir of youth. So even if they die out in the wild, you can trust their DNA will persist in the research lab.
Latest news: numbers of Leatherback Turtles in the oceans of Costa Rica are dwindling fast. Warmer ocean temperatures are killing off their diet of coral and turning the juveniles female. Read more here…..
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- While you may dispose of plastic bags properly, in landfill, who knows what the next man does? It’s not just shopping bags: the whole culture of disposable stuff needs to be challenged.
- If you meet a large turtle on the beach at night, she’s probably laying. By all means observe, but keep a respectful distance. If you wish, set your egg-timer for 64 days and come back for hatching, you may be able to assist disorientated hatchlings.
- Adult turtles that choose to beach themselves are exhausted or sick. Do not keep trying to push it out to sea; it is not a whale. Wrap it in a wet towel and get it to a vet, Seabird Rescue, or other wildlife rehab organisations with the experience and facilities for turtles.
Tags: garbage ingestion, turtle, vet, veterinary, wildlife