Thai marine park officials are on the hunt for a visitor who was caught on camera feeding a plastic wristband to a sea turtle. If caught, the culprit could be looking at a fine and even jail time.
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A tourist who had visited Mu Ko Similan National Park sent a message to the park’s social media page on Saturday to report on the visitor’s action, according to the Bangkok Post.
The tourist said that while snorkelling in the park around Islands 5 and 6, the visitor was seen offering a yellow plastic wristband to a turtle and encouraging it to eat the band.
An academic and recreation team, along with the diving operations unit, were immediately dispatched to look for the animal, park chief Siriwat Suebsai told the Thai newspaper.
They found the turtle near the islands and took it to the pier for further examination. It is not known what the check-up revealed.
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Wildlife experts say plastic items, even a single piece, are extremely dangerous to sea turtles.