A young green turtle, aged between 5 and 10 years, measuring 48 cm in shell length and weighing 9 kg, was found by Claude, a local resident of Maatea in Moorea, early in the morning on Wednesday, October 2. It was lying on the beach, lethargic and barely moving.
Upon the arrival of Cécile, the founder and one of the permanent veterinarians of Te mana o te moana, a few moments later, she confirmed the animal’s death.The turtle was in a state of severe emaciation, and its shell was covered in algae, indicating its inability to dive for several weeks, as well as abnormal and unbalanced buoyancy.
During the autopsy conducted that same morning, the cause of death was immediately identified: a digestive obstruction caused by recurrent ingestion of plastic.
The details of the autopsy reveal that this turtle had accumulated plastic debris over the years, particularly pieces of plastic bags that became entangled, leading to reduced feeding, chronic weight loss, and ultimately a complete cessation of digestive transit, resulting in its death.Nothing could have been done to save this turtle, but the observation remains alarmingly consistent: since our establishment in 2004, we have seen an increasing number of turtles found dead in French Polynesia due to plastic ingestion! It is high time to act, and on a large scale !