Baby Turtle Dies After Swallowing 104 Pieces Of Plastic

A baby sea turtle died hours after washing up on a beach in Florida with more than 100 pieces of plastic in its stomach.

The heartbreaking picture was shared by Gumbo Limbo Nature Center on their Facebook page, showing the tortoise lying next to all the plastic pieces it swallowed, costing its life. The image has gone viral since then, garnering a lot of outrage from netizens.

Asserting on the importance of ‘trash free seas’, the center captioned the image writing how baby turtles are washing up along the coastline, needing help. “This turtle which would fit in the palm of your hand, had eaten 104 pieces of plastic. This is a sad reminder of how we all need to do our part to keep our oceans plastic free,” the post further read.

Whitney Crowder, sea turtle rehabilitation coordinator for the Center explained how baby turtles die from the indigestion of plastic pieces every year.

“When they’re this size, they’re omnivores. They’re not as specialized as when they’re older. They eat algae in plant life and these tiny pieces of plastic are just kind of floating, mixed in seaweed. I think they’re just trying to eat to survive and not realizing that they’re eating something awful,” she told TODAY.

Before it died, the turtle was examined by Emily Mirowski, a sea turtle rehabilitation assistant at the center. “It was weak and emaciated. I could just tell it wasn’t doing well,” Mirowski told CNN.

Mirowski also said how the problem will not end until people say no to plastic and learn to dispose it of properly.

She added, “We have to reduce plastic use as much as possible. Not just recycling, but eliminating plastic out of daily use. No piece of plastic ever goes away; it just breaks down to smaller pieces.”

This viral photo is a wake-up call reminding people of the dangers of plastic pollution to marine life.