The leatherback turtle washed up in Finistère had swallowed plastic waste

An autopsy of the leatherback turtle found stranded on a beach in Finistère on September 7 was carried out by the La Rochelle aquarium.

The center for the study and care of sea turtles thus dissected the digestive tract of the 300 kg animal.

“This turtle had ingested large amounts of various plastic waste.

This may have contributed directly or indirectly to his death, ”indicates the analysis report consulted by

.

According to the center based in Charente-Maritime, 68 leatherback turtles stranded between the Atlantic coast and the English Channel in 2019. In half of the cases, the specimens had ingested plastic.

New analyzes

New expertise should be carried out on the reptile, in particular to define its age and origin.

Tissue analysis could also identify certain abnormalities or heavy metal contaminations.

The autopsied leatherback turtle had been discovered lifeless by two walkers on the beach of Reun, in Treffiagat.

The city's technical services had been mobilized to evacuate it, using a backhoe loader, before it was taken over by the La Rochelle aquarium.

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