A tiny turtle has been found dead with a staggering 104 pieces of plastic in his stomach.
The Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, Florida, shared the sad image of the washback turtle surrounded by the bits of plastic on social media.
Tiny turtles washing up on beaches need our help. 100% of ours that didn’t survive had plastic in their GI tracts. This tiny loggerhead had eaten 104 pieces of plastic. We all need to do our part to keep our oceans #plasticfree. #reducereuserecycle #trashfreeseas #lovegumbolimbo pic.twitter.com/CIQdY1MMeY
— Gumbo Limbo Nature Center (@GumboLimboNC) October 2, 2019
‘A sad reminder’
The picture was accompanied by a caption saying: “Not such a happy #TurtleTuesday this week. It’s washback season at Gumbo Limbo and weak, tiny turtles are washing up along the coastline needing our help.
“Unfortunately, not every washback survives. 100 percent of our washbacks that didn’t make it had plastic in their intestinal tracts.
“This turtle, which would fit in the palm of your hand, had eaten 104 pieces of plastic. This is a sad reminder that we all need to do our part to keep our oceans plastic-free.”