Plastic Found in One-Third of Leatherback Turtles
 

Emily Sohn, Discovery News
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/0...le-540x380.jpg

Leatherback turtles are ancient creatures with a modern problem: Plastic.

A new study looked at necropsy reports of more than 400 leatherbacks that have died since 1985 and found plastic in the digestive systems of more than a third of the animals. Besides plastic bags, the turtles had swallowed fishing lines, balloon fragments, spoons, candy wrappers and more.

Plastic was probably not the cause of death in most cases. Nevertheless, the study is an important wake-up call for a growing garbage problem.

"Eating something that is plastic can't be good for you, whether it leads to death or not," said Mike James, a marine biologist at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. "It's not what they should be eating. And it's kind of scary that it is showing up in their diet to the extent that it is."

Re: Plastic Found in One-Third of Leatherback Turtles
 

My friend visited China last year and took a boat trip along the Yangtsy river. Everything from the boat, all the waste, was thrown into the river. And we all know where the rivers flow....

Re: Plastic Found in One-Third of Leatherback Turtles
 

Yeah it's a shame that some people have to be such pigs! It can be bad here in the US, depending on which state or city you're in. Florida is bad, we used to joke that the highest point in Florida is the trash dumps.

Re: Plastic Found in One-Third of Leatherback Turtles
 

:tears:

plastic ring

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...lasticring.jpg

Re: Plastic Found in One-Third of Leatherback Turtles
 

got to see this. george was one of us. rip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eScDfYzMEEw

Re: Plastic Found in One-Third of Leatherback Turtles
 

Love that Carlin video dagon!!