Rescued five sea turtles stranded on Ecuadorian beaches
Published by: EFEverde Newsroom
October 7, 2020 Quito
Five sea turtles of species considered endangered or vulnerable, which had been stranded on beaches in the Ecuadorian province of Esmeraldas, were rescued by specialized technicians, the Ministry of the Environment reported.
Members of the team from the “Manglares Estuario del Río Muisne” Wildlife Refuge rescued four olive ridley turtles and a green sea turtle on the Muisne and Portete beaches, the Environmental Portfolio said in a statement.
The marine species had lacerations and damage to the head, carapace and fore fins, presumably caused by interaction with fishing equipment.
Caring for injured turtles
The wildlife technicians applied a response protocol to strandings of marine species, by virtue of which they carried out cleaning, hydration and monitoring of the wounded turtles , before transferring them to the Marine Fauna Rehabilitation Center of the Machalilla National Park, in the province of Manabí, where they were treated by a specialist veterinarian.
The olive ridley turtles are found in reefs, shores, bays and lagoons, and are located in the province of Esmeraldas , on the mainland, as well as in the Galapagos archipelago.
And green sea turtles are distributed along the Ecuadorian coast, specifically in the provinces of El Oro, Manabí, Esmeraldas, as well as in the Galapagos Islands.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the species of green sea turtle is in danger of extinction, while the olive ridley is listed as vulnerable.
The danger of plastics
One of the main threats that sea turtles have are the plastic covers, which are often mistaken for jellyfish, which are part of their food, so when they eat them they die asphyxiated.
Only the Center for the Rehabilitation of Marine Fauna in the province of Manabí has treated 192 sea turtles in the last year.
On June 14, park rangers from 21 marine-coastal protected areas in Ecuador registered 1,216 nests of sea turtles of the olive ridley, green and hawksbill species, on 41 beaches.
The golfinas are smaller sea turtles in South America , their average length is 65 cm and weigh about 45 kilos. Being a carnivorous species, it feeds on fish, crabs, snails, oysters and jellyfish.
The Ministry of the Environment and Water supervises the nesting season of these species during the 2020 campaign, with underwater cleaning, maintenance, relocation and monitoring of the identified nests.
https://www.efeverde.com/noticias/rescatadas-cinco-tortugas-marinas-varadas-playas-ecuador/
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