Plastic garbage can cause sea turtles to become extinct

Sea turtles are at risk of extinction because they ingest plastic bags that they mistakenly thought to be jellyfish, according to a new report published in the Marine Turtle Newsletter.

Scraps of plastic are found in the stomach of a sea turtle. Photo: seaturtle.org.

While examining the gastrointestinal tract of a newly grown green sea turtle, scientists discovered many pieces of plastic debris in the stomach of this creature. This is evidence that plastic waste is threatening the life of marine species.

Sea turtles often mistakenly believe plastic bags are jellyfish - one of their favorite dishes. Plastic bags can clog the sea turtle's digestive tract, causing them to starve and die if not treated promptly.

According to the latest report published in the Marine Turtle Newsletter , the researchers say that 75% of all tested green turtles have plastic debris in the gastrointestinal tract. These debris include plastic bags, balloons, floor mats, rubber, .

Turtles can become gastrointestinal obstruction when ingesting plastic bags.

The Daily Mail quoted Dr. Colette Wabnitz, a member of the research team at the University of British Columbia (Canada), saying: ' The body of most marine animals - including some highly endangered species - now contains plastic pieces even though they live quite far from human habitats '.

The report also reports that, currently, the world is producing about 260 million tons of plastic per year, while this figure is only about 0.5 tons in 1950. More than 1 billion plastic bags One-time use is discharged into the environment every day and 3/1000 plastic bags are thrown into the sea.

Dr. Wallace Nichols, a member of the research team, added: ' Last year, I counted 76 plastic bags thrown into the sea in just 1 minute in Indonesia .'