Officers from the DMCR’s Sireetarn Marine Endangered Animals Rescue Centre were called to Mai Khao Beach on Tuesday (Oct 22), where a juvenile green sea turtle was discovered washed ashore.
The dead turtle had washed ashore near the area popular for people to watch aircraft take of and land at Phuket International Airport.
The turtle, with a shell 52cm long and 51cm wide, weighed 12kg, the officers confirmed.
The carcass was severely decomposed, with no visible external injuries.
However, officers performed a dissection of the remains at the scene, which revealed that the turtle’s stomach and intestines were filled with sea grass, mangrove pods and various forms of marine waste, including plastic.
Items found inside the turtle included plastic pieces, nylon rope and other waste materials tightly packed with sea grass.
The ingestion of the marine debris was believed to have caused intestinal inflammation, leading to the turtle’s death, the DMCR reported.
The DMCR has repeatedly expressed concern over the growing threat of marine waste to sea life, urging the public to take action to protect the environment.