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Life

04th Apr 2018

Baby turtle had to poop out plastic after ingesting it in the ocean

Jade Hayden

baby turtle

A baby turtle has been forced to poop out plastic after ingesting it in the ocean.

The turtle was rescued by the Australian Parks and Wildlife Service and then sent to Perth Zoo.

The endangered Loggerhead Turtle was then treated by vets at the zoo when pieces of plastic were discovered in its faeces.

The zoo shared a video of the turtle during treatment and urged people to reuse their plastic or dispose of it responsibly.

The plastic the turtle excreted is also present in the clip.

According to the zoo, the turtle is less than a year old.

There are just six species of marine turtle currently living in Australian waters, and all have been endangered in recent years due to the amount of waste that has found its way into the sea.

Five species of turtle are present in Irish waters with all them currently present on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

Two are vulnerable, one is endangered, and two are critically endangered.

Turtles, fishes, and other marine wildlife can be become tangled in plastic, ingest waste, or face injury by boats or people.