A giant sea turtle has been found dead after swallowing more than 300 bits of PLASTIC.
The helpless creature starved to death because its guts were clogged with debris including bags, lids, tape and fishing line.
The 317 separate pieces of rubbish found inside it by horrified experts were enough to cover an entire table top.
Scientists say the incident is one of the worst cases of pollution in open water ever recorded.
The turtle was found dead on a beach at Ballina, New South Wales, on the eastern coast of Australia.
Marine biologist Rochelle Ferris said: “It just shows how much plastic there is out there in the ocean. The turtle’s digestive system just shut down.”
Recent studies show a third of all sea turtles are being slowly poisoned by marine litter, with at least 50 cases reported in Australia alone every year.
A plastic bag can look like a squid to a hungry turtle while a piece of white lid may appear to be a shellfish.
Sea turtle populations around the world are also increasingly in danger from pollution, illegal fishing and becoming tangled in nets.
Source: www.thesun.co.uk
Social Profiles