Turtle found dead with a stomach full of plastic in Thailand

A sea turtle has been found dead with a stomach full of plastic pollution which it had mistaken for food.

Locals noticed the dead turtle on the Somprasong beach in Chonburi, eastern Thailand in July.

The five-year-old sea turtle was covered in flies and believed to have been dead for around one week.

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 sad death of the turtle."

Thai tourist Nattapat Veerongkasanee said she found the turtle while she was walking along the beach.

She said: ''This morning I just came to watch the sunrise but shocked by the dead turtle. I called the rescuer as soon as I found it.''