The Indian Coast Guard was part of a rescue mission when they found an endangered species of a turtle entangles in a net on the India-Pakistan maritime border. The turtle was identified as an Olive Ridley Turtle.
It was declared as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) to protect them from commercial exploitation, including the sale of their skins.
According to a video released by ANI, the ICG had seen the turtle stuck in a net. The men went on a boat and used their knives to cut the net which was wrapped around the hind part of the turtle.
#WATCH Indian Coast Guard carried out a rescue mission on April 24 along the maritime boundary with Pakistan where they saved a vulnerable and endangered Olive Ridley Turtle entangled in a net at sea and released her into the Arabian Sea. pic.twitter.com/F6l9wUfPn1
— ANI (@ANI) April 29, 2019
The turtle initially, in a panic, tried to swim away even though it was stuck in the net.
The ICG then came to its rescue, pulled her out of the water and tried to free her. However, this was not an easy process because of the size of the reptile. While the men were trying to cut the net she was entangled in, she started flapping her flippers in a panic, not making it simpler for her rescuers. ANI said that the turtle was, at last, free and let into the Arabian Sea.
While this particular turtle was rescued from the net and set free, there are not many marine animals which have been that lucky. One of the reasons is the amount of pollution and garbage in the ocean which does not provide an easy path for these animals to navigate. Sea turtles are the most common aquatic animals to get caught in the garbage. Due to this many lose their lives, thus creating an imbalance in the ecosystem.
In addition to this, the animals also ingest garbage floating in the ocean causing them to die. One month ago, the carcass of a pregnant sperm whale washed ashore in Italy. An autopsy revealed that she had ingested over 50 pounds or 22.6 kilograms of plastic which was floating in the ocean. The food she had eaten never made it to her bloodstream since the plastic was blocking her digestive track.
