Endangered sea turtle stuck in net rescued in southern Thailand

An endangered green sea turtle was rescued after it was found stuck in a fishing net.

Ao Siam National Park officers were on board a patrol boat when they noticed the marine creature in distress in Prachuap Khiri Khan province, Thailand on March 6.

One of its fins was caught in the net attached to tiny floating buoys left in the sea.

Two officers then jumped into the water to free the animal by cutting the material off.

They carried the turtle back to their boat and found it had no microchip on suggesting it was from the wild and it was the first time they had encountered it.

The turtle’s shell was 67cm wide and 75cm long.

Overall, it did not have severe injuries but the officers wanted to make sure it was safe so they took it to the wildlife centre.

The animal was sent to the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources where it will be monitored by veterinarians.

One of the officers said: ‘There were no apparent injuries on the turtle but we sent it to veterinarians so they could check on it before we release it back to the sea.’ Green sea turtles are classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as endangered.

The species was threatened by overharvesting of eggs, hunting of adults, being caught in fishing gear and loss of nesting beach sites.