Birds covered in oil, turtles stuck in fishing nets, fish dying in droves due to pollution of habitat – the detrimental effect of our species on animal ecosystems, and specifically marine wild life, is endless and horrifying.
But thankfully, there are those who are working tirelessly to try and slow the tide of human pollution as it slips into our oceans.
A group of marine biologists located off Guanacaste, Costa Rica, recently found a male Olive Ridley turtle with a plastic straw embedded deep within its nasal cavity. They felt it was important to share the footage with the world, and titled it “NO TO PLASTIC STAWS”, in the hopes of awareness of just kind of cruel damage our carelessness and lack of respect for our oceans can do.
Initially the team believed the object to be a hook worm, until further investigation revealved it to be a 12cm plastic straw.
In the 8 minute long video, the team remove the straw with the only tool available – pliers from a swiss army knife. The video makes for an intense watch as the visibly distressed animal flinches in pain during the procedure.
Field biologist and member of the crew Dr Christine Figgener defended the groups actions in removing the straw on the YouTube post by explaining “the bleeding stopped pretty much immediately after the removal of the straw.
“We disinfected the air passageway with iodine and kept the turtle for observation before releasing him back into the wild.”
"This video shows why plastic rubbish is detrimental to marine life.”
