Turtles face numerous dangers in the wild, but many have also struggled with a problem created by humans.
The environmental group, the Leatherback Trust, posted on Facebook about a recent incident where biologist Nathan Robinson and others extracted a plastic disposable fork lodged in a sea turtle’s nostril. It is believed that she ingested the utensil, and when it was rejected by her body, it exited from her nose instead of her mouth and got stuck.
A video of the removal shows Robinson taking a pair of pliers and pulling at the fork until it comes out. He had also helped another one turtle rid itself of a plastic straw earlier in the year.
According to a 2015 study, the majority of sea turtles on Earth have swallowed plastic. Discarded items such as bags and balloons resemble food like jellyfish so the turtles end up eating the objects and often ultimately dying from them. Their digestive systems can become blocked, the chemicals can be poisonous, or they can starve because their stomachs seem full.
