A dehydrated, underweight and hypothermic olive ridley sea turtle was rescued from a beach at Camp Pendleton Thursday, according to SeaWorld San Diego.
Veterinarians said the turtle had some damage to its shell and ingested some plastic trash. Plastic bags are sometimes mistaken for food by sea turtles and can cause intestinal problems.
“Sea turtles tend to feed on jellyfish — plastic trash that floats in the ocean is often mistaken for jellyfish,” said Hendrik Nollens, a SeaWorld veterinarian. “This is a perfect example of why we need to keep marine debris, especially plastics, out of our oceans.”
The 42-pound turtle is less than half the weight of what the species can reach. Its sex and age were undetermined. Park officials are treating the sea turtle with fluids and antibiotics, and said they hope to return it to the wild this summer.
SeaWorld San Diego rescues nearly 400 marine animals and birds each year. The olive ridley sea turtle species that breeds along the coast of Mexico is considered endangered, while those in other areas are listed as threatened, according to Sea World. http://camppendleton.patch.com/articles/turtle