Baby turtle found with 104 pieces of plastic; Internet is upset

Turtle found with 104 pieces of plastic. Pic/Facebook

A baby turtle who was washed up in Boca Raton, Florida died after it was found with 104 pieces of plastic in its stomach. According to a post by Gumbo Limbo Nature Center on Tuesday, a turtle was seen lying to pieces of plastic because of which he lost his life. The post has gone viral on social media.

The turtle was examined by Emily Mirowski, a sea turtle rehabilitation assistant at the centre.

Mirowski told CNN, "It was weak and emaciated. I could just tell it wasn't doing well."

Mirowski dissected the turtle after its death and found that his stomach was full of plastic, from balloons to bottle labels. She said, "It was really heartbreaking. But it's something we've seen for several years and we're just glad people are finally seeing this image and hopefully it's raising awareness."

The internet is extremely upset after the picture was posted online. "So sad. Let's try to recycle and most of all reduce plastic use," a user wrote while yet another said, "This breaks my heart! Have been trying to reduce the amount of plastic we use for years now." The picture has also helped in raising awareness of plastic hazards.

As per Mirowski, many washbacks have been dropped at the centre and every single one of them had plastic ingested in them. Mirowski added that having plastic in their bellies gives turtles the feeling that they're full.

She also emphasized on the need to reduce the usage of plastic and said, "We have to reduce plastic use as much as possible. Not just recycling, but eliminating plastic out of daily use. Every piece of plastic that's ever been made is still out there. it never goes away, it just breaks down to smaller pieces."

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