It was a blustery day this past March when a kite surfer in Malta noticed a large stick moving through the water. Getting a closer look, the surfer realized the stick wasn’t just being pulled by the tides — there was someone stuck on the end.
The Good Samaritan quickly contacted Wildlife Rescue Team Malta for help. A pair of rescue volunteers named Lisa and Liz tried navigating the rough seas, but soon realized they wouldn’t make it. In need of backup, the women contacted Civil Protection Malta, which dispatched a boat to the scene.
Searching the ocean, Civil Protection Malta volunteers found who they were looking for — a desperate sea turtle, still tied to the end of the stick by a knot of plastic. The volunteers gently hauled the turtle out of the water and brought her to Lisa and Liz, who were waiting nearby.
Rescuers named the turtle Belle, freed her from the last bits of trash, and examined her for injuries.
“Thankfully the entanglement wasn’t extremely tight and hadn’t caused deep cuts or loss of circulation to the flippers,” a representative from Wildlife Rescue Team Malta told The Dodo.
The volunteers treated Belle’s superficial cuts and gave her a moment to relax. Then, they released her back into her ocean home.
Wildlife Rescue Team Malta hopes this story encourages community members to be mindful of their wild neighbors.
“It is very important that we dispose of our rubbish in a responsible manner, and when out at sea or at the beach, to always make sure we leave nothing behind us,” the representative said.
If everyone does their part to keep the oceans clean, turtles like Belle will surely be grateful.