PHUKET - An entangled olive ridley sea turtle was rescued from a discarded fishing net after being found in a distressed state on the Karon beach shoreline on Monday.
The turtle was found by a lifeguard who quickly called in a veterinary team from the Sireetarn Marine Endangered Animals Rescue Centre. They freed and took the turtle into care for treatment and rehabilitation.
The centre said the turtle would be closely monitored and nursed back to full health, and then be released back into the Andaman Sea.
- About the species-
The olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) is the smallest and most abundant sea turtle. It has a smooth, greyish-green shell, plainer than the hawksbill's or green turtle's, with a relatively large head and rounder snout. It is distinguished by two pairs of prefrontal scales and six to eight lateral scutes (side scales) on its shell, versus four in other species.
It grows to 75-80cm in length and can weigh up to 50kg. It can breed once its shell reaches 60-65cm in length.
Adults feed in shallow coastal waters, but can dive to 300 metres, and nest once every one to three years between October and March. Their large, strong beaks are suited to shrimp, molluscs, crabs and fish.
The olive ridleys in Thailand occur chiefly along the Andaman coast, where most strandings are reported. Gulf of Thailand strandings are rare.
Nesting is confined to the Andaman coast - Rah, Phra Thong and Kho Khao islands and Thai Mueang beach in Phang Nga, plus Mai Khao, Kamala and Rawai beaches in Phuket - although dwindling nest numbers suggest the species may be nearing local extinction.
The olive ridley is a protected species under the Wild Animal Reservation and Protection Act BE 2535 (1992).
