Officers from the Sireetarn Marine Endangered Animals Rescue Center, under the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), responded to a report of a turtle washed ashore and still alive but caught in netting.
Upon arrival, they discovered the turtle – a female adult Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) – struggling on the sand.
The turtle, weighing approximately 31.7kg, measured 64cm in shell length and 68cm in width. While its overall condition was assessed as normal (body condition score 3/5), it suffered injuries at the base of both flippers and swelling around the neck caused by the net.
Marine biologists provided immediate treatment before transporting the turtle to the Sireetarn rescue centre at Cape Panwa, where it will be rehabilitated until it is strong enough to be released back into the wild.
This marks the second turtle entanglement incident reported at Karon Beach this month. On June 5, lifeguard Sarayut Kunarup discovered a juvenile Olive Ridley sea turtle trapped in another abandoned fishing net.
That turtle, weighing around 20kg and measuring 50cm in shell length, was in good health and showed no signs of injury.
Officers responded and safely returned the young turtle to the sea after freeing it.
Marine authorities have reiterated the serious threat that discarded fishing gear poses to marine life and have called on local fishermen and the public to dispose of nets and plastic waste responsibly.