A green sea turtle was found floating in the ocean severely wounded, apparently from injuries inflicted by three metal tags that had been riveted to its shell, National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium officials said.
The Coast Guard Administration’s Southern Coastal Patrol Office, which rescued the turtle on Monday last week, said that the tags had “Family prosperity” inscribed on them and had been intended to bring good luck to the 13 people whose names they bore.
As the tags rubbed against the turtle’s skin, its hind legs had become ulcerated and swollen, veterinarians said, adding that if the coastal patrol had not discovered the turtle it might have developed a bacterial infection and died.
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsien, Taipei Times
The patrol office who rescued the turtle said a fishing-boat captain surnamed Pai (白) informed them about the turtle, which had been seen floating in the sea.
The patrol office quickly netted the turtle and put it in a bucket of water, concerned that it might be hit by fishing boats.
Museum veterinarian Lee Tsung-hsien (李宗賢) said the turtle was in a decrepit state when it was discovered, and its excrement contained scraps of plastic bags and was swarming with parasites.
The turtle is being cared for by the museum and is showing stable vital signs, he said, adding that it would be released into the wild after an assessment of its health.
The museum called on people not to release animals in this way, saying it only brings harm, adding that hanging sharp objects on turtles hinders their movement and might kill them.
It added that sea turtles that consume trash might appear to be unaffected but could die suddenly from obstructions to their digestive tract.
People should not attempt to rescue sea turtles and release them; instead, they should call 118 and leave the task to local animal protection agencies, the museum said.
The green sea turtle is classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, with a 2004 study published by the organization saying that the annual number of nesting females worldwide had declined by between 48 and 67 percent in the past three generations.
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