A true story by Lennox Head Artist, Shawna Darch

A couple of days ago I was at the vet clinic picking up cat food and a worming tablet for our beloved Kingsley. As I was about to leave, the vet emerged from one of the appointment rooms carrying a beautiful, green sea turtle. I had never seen one so closely before and asked her if I could take a closer look. She most graciously invited me back to the operating theatre where she was hoping to be able to remove a blockage caused by a plastic bag from this most amazing creature. To a sea turtle, a plastic bag looks just like a jelly fish as it swishes through the ocean waters. As sea turtles often feed on jelly fish, they also often mistakenly eat plastic bags which clog their digestive tracts.

I left the vet clinic feeling incredibly honoured to have been in the presence of this being and thought about the sea turtle often throughout the next 24 hours wondering if the operation had been a success. I stopped in yesterday to see but was told that he/she was not looking good and that is was very difficult to tell if it was even still alive as they can hold their breath for such extended periods. I was advised to check back in today which I did. I brought my camera with me hoping that I would be photographing a recovering friend. Sadly, the sea turtle died, unable to recover from it's devastating injuries. In speaking to the vet, I learned that:

 

1-a sea turtle's sex is determined at the time of hatching and is dependent upon the temperature at the time. This is also true for crocodiles. One of the major concerns for these amazing beings with regards to global warming is that there will be only one sex of these beings and their entire species will die out. 

2-this was a young turtle, probably less than 7 years old. It was impossible to detect it's sex as this part of the anatomy does not develop fully until 7-10 years of age

3-the turtle's shell is made of keratin and is actually very soft and smooth. It is also very easy to xray through as you will note in the final photographs

4-the turtles' skin is incredibly soft and mobile.

5-it is believed that this one died on the operating table while under anesthetic. It's digestive tract was almost completely blocked, making it very difficult for it to engage in it's usually activities such as diving deep for food. Hunger creates weakness and also makes the turtle easy prey for other marine life who feed off them as they are unable to defend themselves as they usually would.

I'm sending this story because I believe that sadly, it has become a human tendency to disregard many of our actions. Everything that we discard goes somewhere, but for most of us, we don't ever consider where it goes. Please ensure you pick up your rubbish and put it carefully in a bin or take it home until you can properly dispose of it. We are the custodians of this beautiful planet and we are letting ourselves and all the other beings we share this earth with down. It was incredibly humbling and heartbreaking to see such a glorious, prehistoric creature die because of our carelessness.  My special thanks to the Lennox Vet clinic to allowing me to take photographs and for their patience in passing along their knowledge. And especially to this very special being for sacrificing its life to help bring awareness to others.  Love to you all, Shawna

 

An XRay clearly indicating the plastic bag.- photo's and artwork " Ancient Sage" by Shawna Darch  Home