Phuket fishermen save severely injured sea turtle

PHUKET: Local fisherman saved an olive ridley sea turtle that washed onto a Phuket beach missing a flipper today.

The fishermen notified Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers, who collected the turtle from Sai Kaew Beach and transported it to the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) at Cape Panwa.

“The turtle’s shell was damaged and its front flipper had been cut off. We think it was injured by a boat propeller,” said Patcharaporn Kaewmong, a veterinarian at the PMBC.

The creature – designated as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature – is a 65-centimeter-long female, weighing in at 23 kilograms.

“We are keeping the turtle at the center for treatment,” said Dr Patcharaporn.

— Kritsada Muaenhawong