Autopsy on dead 15 year old Hawksbill sea turtle held today

PHOTO: Thai PBS World

Veterinarians from the sea turtle hospital at Sattahip naval base in Chon Buri, south of Pattaya on the Gulf of Thailand, are doing an autopsy on a dead endangered Hawksbill sea turtle.

The one metre long and 40 kilogram dead sea turtle, believed to be about 15 years old, was found floating near Koh Juang in Sattahip Bay in Chon Buri by a fisherman, Surasak Hongthong.

The Hawksbill sea turtle is listed as a critically endangered species in Thailand.

He pulled the sea turtle aboard his boat and brought to the naval base. A team of naval officers and a veterinarian from the sea turtle hospital examined the animal, which showed no signs of being wounded.

The vet initially suspected that the turtle might have swallowed plastic, which caused its death, but he said that the truth will be known today when an autopsy is carried out, according to Thai PBS World.

Four sea turtles have been found dead in Thai seas in the past week and most of them were found to have plastic bags or pieces in their stomachs. The sea turtle hospital at the Sattahip naval base is still treating several sick turtles, several who were found to have swallowed plastic pieces or been ensnared in fishing nets.

The sea off the Sattahip area is polluted with trash, including plastic waste, and is increasingly obvious when it washes ashore in rough weather.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World