Marine turtles in rehab in Ecuador beachside hospital
The Peninsula
SALANGO, Ecuador - Marine turtles hurt by ocean trash undergo rehab in an animal hospital in southern Ecuador, recovering enough to return to the wild or at least educate the world about their plight.
Most turtles rescued by the Marine Fauna Rehabilitation Center in Manabi province have trash or fish hooks in their intestines. They often confuse plastic with jellyfish and eat it. Many have fractures from being hit by fishermen or tangled in nets, said veterinarian Ruben Aleman.
Aleman, who founded the center in 2012, carefully cleans the injured shell of an olive ridley sea turtle, a rare species whose adults reach about two feet long and weigh about 100 lb. It has spent the last year in rehab from severe shell damage and surgery to remove plastic from its esophagus.