TURTLE TRAPPED IN DEADLY PLASTICS WHILE SWIMMING GETS HERO RESCUE
WITH PIX AND VID
By Shuk Yee Tsang
A sea turtle tangled in plastic waste has been saved from near-certain death after a quick-thinking sailor jumped into the Atlantic Ocean to cut it free.
The footage shows Felix Hackenberg, a skipper and sailing instructor from Germany, while crossing the Atlantic from Mallorca to the Caribbean.
Felix and his crew were near Lanzarote in the Canary Islands when they spotted a white plastic bag floating beside what looked like a turtle.
At first, it wasn’t clear that the animal was trapped until both the turtle and the debris started drifting together.
He explains that while he’s seen plenty of marine life affected by pollution, this was his first encounter with a turtle entangled in waste.
Driven by a lifelong passion for the ocean, he jumped ready in to help.
Felix explained, “I love nature, and the reason I sacrificed a well-paid corporate job to sail around the world is because of it,
"We have to protect and love it! Helping an animal in distress or picking up garbage is a no-brainer for me.
“I stopped the boat and turned around to have a look,
“When I got in the water with my goggles, I could see the plastic was caught around its neck.
"It was probably really scared, but it was the right thing to do because the plastic was wrapped around its neck and fins.
"I was only able to catch it because it was moving so slowly with the bag around it.
“I’m sure this turtle would have met a different fate in a couple of days or weeks "
He urged the public in tips to avoid this, and he said: “Try to avoid using single-use plastic,
“This would not have happened with cardboard or paper.”
"Hopefully, this guy will have a long, long life.
"And guys, please remember never to touch a sea turtle or come close to them.
"And of course, it goes without saying, don’t put any plastic trash in here."
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