A turtle so small it can fit in the palm of your hand washed up dead on a beach in Florida with 104 pieces of plastic in its stomach. 

Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton revealed the devastating and fatal damage done by pieces of plastics to the young turtle in a post on Facebook. 

The group shared a photo which reveals pieces of plastic of various sizes which were recovered from the baby’s intestines. 

More than 8 million tons of plastic is dumped in the ocean every year, catastrophically impacting marine ecosystems and killing animals.

“Not such a happy #TurtleTuesday this week. It’s washback season at Gumbo Limbo and weak, tiny turtles are washing up along the coastline needing our help,” Gumbo Limbo Nature Center said in the post.

“Unfortunately, not every washback survives. 100% of our washbacks that didn’t make it had plastic in their intestinal tracts. 

“This turtle, which would fit in the palm of your hand, had eaten 104 pieces of plastic. This is a sad reminder that we all need to do our part to keep our oceans plastic free.”

The Gumbo Limbo Nature Center monitors 800 turtle nests each year within a five mile span of beaches. 

“We rescue, rehabilitate, and release sick and injured sea turtles. We release more than 9,000 stranded sea turtle hatchlings each nesting season,” the group’s website explains.

• Read: Abandoned fishing nets account for half of the ocean’s plastic pollution

Share this article to tell the world how damaging single-use plastics are. Find out more about the Gumbo Limbo Nature Centre here.

Oli Gross

Oli’s career and personal ethical values both help shape his reporting of the diverse world of veganism. His background is in local newspaper and magazine journalism, and his work has included reporting court cases, celebrity interviews, business analysis, food and drink features and government legislation.

See author's posts