A green turtle found on September 24 in a flower bed near November 15 Square in the center of Florianopolis may have suffered from dehydration before dying. The animal was found by the military police and taken to the Tamar project, but did not survive. Two weeks later, the project is preparing to study the reasons for the death of the turtle.

The turtle was found in the square on November 15 on September 24. Photo: Reproduction/@pmscoficial/ND

According to biologist and manager of the Tamar Project Visitor Center Daniel Rogerio, when a turtle is out of the water for a long time, especially in an urbanized environment, it can develop several problems, such as dehydration, and lead to death. .

This is one of the possible hypotheses for the cause of death of the turtle found in the center of the capital.

“There are several living and dead animals washed ashore, but in general it is very rare to see such an animal on the beaches in the city center, someone must have found it and carried it there,” the biologist said.

Though rare, Rogerio notes that this has happened before. In 2017, the tortoise was taken to Proeto Tamar after being found in a square lake in Crisium. At one time, the animal was saved, but he also did not survive.

Turtles in danger

Most of the time, animals are in other risk situations, which are usually due to some interaction with fishery items or ingestion of garbage.

Rogerio reports that when receiving turtles that have interacted with fishing, the animals tend to be “fatter” as they feed on good food until they are hit by the equipment used in the activity.

According to the biologist, in this logistics of receiving injured turtles, Projeto Tamar has a good partnership with fishermen, who usually alert them when an animal gets into their nets.

Often the debris ingested by turtles is found in their feces. Photo: Nilsson Coelho/R3 Animal/Disclosure/ND

When ingesting garbage, the animal is accepted by the “skinny” project. However, there are a number of protocols that must be followed for the treatment and recovery of the animal.

If you find a beached turtle or in a situation similar to the one shown in the video, Projeto Tamar recommends that you call (48) 3236-2015 or PMP (Beach Monitoring Project) on 0800 642 3341.