This week, fisherman off the coast of Tasmania encountered something they didn’t expect to see: a huge loggerhead sea turtle in serious need of assistance.
He was a huge man, weighing around 220 pounds, yet he was sluggish. He couldn’t even submerge himself in water and was coated in barnacles, implying that he’d been unwell for some time.
“Marine turtles are rarely spotted in Tasmanian waters, and this one was clearly in poor health,” wrote Marine Conservation Program (MCP), a government group who came to the rescue of the turtle, after the fishermen caught him and brought him to get help.
The turtle was given temporary accommodation at a fish market overnight, according to MCP, which brought him for a veterinary exam the next day.
X-rays were taken to examine if he’d eaten any fishing gear or plastic. loggerhead turtles frequently consume plastic bags, mistaking them for jellyfish, according to MCP.
Fortunately, this particular turtle managed to avoid these perils.
So he was given some strengthening fluids and the barnacles were removed one by one by rescuers.
MCP will decide what’s next for him after he appears to be getting better.
But for the time being, he’s taking it easy.
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