Officers from the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) and the Rare Marine Animal Rescue Network responded to a report of a sea turtle caught in a fishing net off Karon Beach yesterday (June 5).
The turtle, a juvenile Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), was discovered by beach lifeguard Sarayut Kunarup and found alive but trapped in a discarded fishing net.
The turtle, weighing around 20kg and measuring 50cm in shell length, was in good health with no visible injuries. PMBC officers, along with local volunteers, carefully removed the net before safely returning the turtle to the sea.
Also yesterday, another turtle rescue was carried out near Koh Racha Noi, south of Phuket, after a Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) was found stranded on a raft of floating debris.
The juvenile turtle, weighing about 6kg, had a deep wound at the base of its left flipper and was covered in barnacles, suggesting it had been drifting in a weakened state for some time.
Marine biologists at the Sireetarn Marine Endangered Animal Rescue Center at Cape Panwa are now providing care and rehabilitation for the hawksbill turtle in preparation for its eventual release.
The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) in its reports expressed gratitude to the Rare Marine Animal Rescue Network and community partners for their swift action and ongoing efforts to protect Thailand’s marine wildlife.
In a separate incident, a juvenile male spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris) was discovered dead on rocks at Laem Son, Kamala, on Tuesday (June 3). Local residents alerted authorities, and officers from the DMCR’s Marine and Coastal Resources Research Center (Upper Andaman Sea) conducted an on-site investigation.
The dolphin, measuring 115cm and weighing around 60kg, was badly decomposed, with torn skin, missing tail and visible abrasions likely caused by wave action.
An autopsy revealed severe internal decay but no signs of disease, and officials were unable to determine a definitive cause of death.
The remains were buried near the site with assistance from the local community.
The DMCR urged the public to report any sightings of injured or deceased marine animals to help safeguard the region’s marine biodiversity.