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Rare Endangered Sea Turtle Found Dead On Alabama Beach
The trash in our oceans is becoming out of control.
D.G. Sciortino
07.17.18

The beach is such a beautiful place. But unfortunately, some people are too lazy to clean up after themselves after enjoying that beauty which ends up destroying it.

Beachgoers in Fort Morgan, Alabama are hopefully learning a lesson after finding out that they’re responsible for the death of a turtle that is one of the rarest species of sea turtles.

A Kemps ridley sea turtle, which is an endangered species, was found washed up on a beach shore with a beach chair tangled around its neck.

Matt Ware
Source:
Matt Ware

“We did it, turtles will not encounter chairs if it were not for us,” Richard Brewer, a Dauphin Island resident and Volunteer with Share the Beach, an advocacy organization for sea turtles, told FOX 10. “Heartbreaking. Truly heartbreaking.”

Matt Ware
Source:
Matt Ware

The Kemp’s ridley turtle is the most endangered sea turtle in the world.

According to National Geographic, this is primarily caused by over-harvesting of their eggs.

“And though their nesting grounds are protected and many commercial fishing fleets now use turtle excluder devices in their nets, these turtles have not been able to rebound,” National Geographic writes.

National Wildlife Federation
Source:
National Wildlife Federation

They are considered to be critically endangered.

As of 2011, there were a total of 20,570 nests documented in Mexico.

There were also 199 nests in the U.S. primarily in Texas, according to the United States Fish and Wildlife Services.

North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher
Source:
North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher

“Sea turtles are important enough that we will go to whatever lengths we can to protect them. It’s very heartbreaking to know that its something that could have been prevented,” Brewer said. “We had great news this morning, we believe that we have the first Kemp’s Ridley nest ever found on Dauphin Island, to find out that we had a mature female Kemp’s that just died because of something that could have been prevented is tragic.”

State Symbols USA
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State Symbols USA

Brewer and other conservationist are urging beachgoers to “only leave footprints” when they come to the beach.

“Come to the beach, enjoy yourself, have a great time. Make sure you left the beach cleaner than it was when you’ve showed up,” Brewer said.

Unfortunately, this is something they have to continually remind people of over and over again.

Fort Morgan Share the Beach
Source:
Fort Morgan Share the Beach

“This makes me so mad. How many hundreds of times do we have to ask people to pick their stuff up? It should just be common decency. I think I am going to print this out and carry it with me next time I have to ask,” the Fort Morgan Share the Beach Facebook page wrote of the deceased turtle.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

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