A critically endangered hawksbill turtle was discovered dead in the Indian Ocean in Malindi after consuming plastic waste, causing great concern among marine ecosystem conservationists.
The Conservationists, made up of stakeholders working under the umbrella of the Progress Welfare Association of Malindi (PWAM), were cleaning up along the Casino beach in Malindi, which had a lot of plastic waste along the shores when they discovered the dead turtle.
The PWAM-organized monthly clean-up brings together various stakeholders from the business community, hoteliers, school children, their teachers, Imams, and Muslim students, among others, with the goal of making Malindi greener and cleaner.
Kenya Wildlife Service officials who were part of the clean-up team were summoned to the scene and confirmed that the dead turtle was a hawksbill turtle.
According to Senior Sgt Abu Bocha, the Turtle may have died after consuming plastic before being washed up on the shores.
Bocha said at the scene that normally turtles eat white plastics thinking it’s a jellyfish and end up developing complications that lead to death.
“It appears to have died after consuming plastics, which is why we always clean the beach; plastics are eaten by turtles as well,” he explained.
When the Turtle sees plastic, it thinks it’s a jellyfish, and after eating it, it expands in the stomach and suffocates to death, according to Bocha.
He stated that it is critical for everyone who visits the beaches to keep plastics in a secure location in order to save endangered species.
“These species are very rare in the world, and we need to conserve them,” he said.
The Snr Sergeant stated that when they examined the dead turtle, they found no evidence that the turtle was killed by a human being.
Bocha previously stated that their partnership with PWAM has greatly aided in raising community awareness, as they normally do clean up once a month.
According to him, the monthly clean-ups that bring together various stakeholders from Malindi will go a long way toward saving ocean creatures threatened by plastic waste.
“In addition to cleaning the ocean, we work with Bluefin diving school to ensure there are no plastic wastes in the ocean,” he explained.
After the Turtle was buried, flowers were placed on top of the ‘grave,’ and children sang the national anthem.
