In a tale that\u2019s all too relevant this Plastic Free July, we recently took on a sick sea turtle patient at our Auckland Zoo Vet Hospital. <\/p>\n
Flown in by the Department of Conservation from Ninety Mile Beach after being found by a concerned member of the public, this turtle\u2019s shell was in the worst condition our vets had ever seen \u2013 completely wrapped in a thick blanket of moss and covered in goose barnacles that would make it difficult for a turtle to swim and indicated it had been unwell for a long time. <\/p>\n
Once it arrived our vet team took X-rays, bloods and set the turtle up in an intensive care unit to start the process of nursing it back to health. <\/p>\n
But sadly, this endangered turtle spent only two days with our Vet Hospital team before it finally succumbed to its condition. A post-mortem revealed it was emaciated with two bits of plastic found inside its intestines as well as a long piece of knotted twine and extensive sun damage to its shell. <\/p>\n
This is an important message for all of us to clean up our oceans and choose to reuse. We\u2019re doing out bit with our pledge to become single-use plastic water bottle free this July.
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