A huge endangered turtle washed up on a popular Wexford beach last weekend.
Walkers on Curracloe spotted the giant leatherback turtle which was sadly dead by the time it was spotted.
That's according to the Irish Independent.
Those who saw the turtle are said to have been shocked by its size.
Leatherbacks are one of the largest species of turtles, growing up to 5ft 11 inches and weighing roughly 920kg.
Large Leatherback sea turtle washed up on Curracloe Beach this morning ?? pic.twitter.com/T2LWyHamTv
— Wexford Drone (@wexfordrone) October 30, 2023
There has been a 40% decline in the number of turtles of this kind over the past three generations and it has officially been listed as an endangered species.
The stranding was noted by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group and a DNA sample was taken.
Turtle stranding not "unprecedented"
A local naturalist told the Independent that although turtle strandings are rare, they are not unprecedented.
"In the past, it was thought that Leatherbacks were lost and way out of range when they turned up around the Wexford coast,” Jim Hurley said.
“Now they are known to turn up from time to time to feed on jellyfish. Still, it would be slightly unusual to discover one,” he added.
At the moment, the turtle's cause of death is unclear.
"One major problem is that they can sometimes mistake plastic bags for jellyfish,” he said. “They swallow the plastic bag and end up choking. It’s awful that such a big animal can live such a long life only to end up choking on someone’s rubbish,” Jim said.
A similar, but more positive story, emerged four years ago in Wexford.
A group of fisherman discovered a huge leatherback sea turtle tangled up in one of their buoy lines.
They struggled to free the turtle but after a bit of manoeuvring, it swam away unharmed.
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