Sea turtle found dead with stomach full of plastic on Thai beach

A sea turtle was found dead with a stomach full of plastic - which vets believe it had mistaken for food.

Locals found the dead turtle on the Somprasong beach in Chonburi, eastern Thailand on Monday (July 22).

The five-year-old green sea turtle was covered in flies and believed to have been dead for around a week, floating in the sea before washing up on the sand.

Specialist veterinarian Kirin Sornpipatcharoen performed a post mortem examination and was shocked by the results.

The team found several pieces of plastic inside the eight-kilogram turtle, including parts of plastic bags, food wrappers and a torn piece of a money bags used for coins.

Kirin said: "The turtle's stomach was full of plastic garbage. Most of the pieces looked like the tentacles of jellyfish, which might have confused the turtle into believing that they were food.

''We're sure that the plastic in the stomach contributed to or caused the tragic death of the turtle."