'Seriously folks': Woman makes 'heartbreaking' find on Queensland beach
A community is in mourning after a local turtle was discovered washed up on a beach, strangled in rope from a crab pot.
The “poor little girl” was discovered on New Year’s Eve on Woodgate beach in Queensland’s Bundaberg region by a local who had been enjoying a walk.
Her morning stroll took a heartbreaking turn after spotting the animal, who she suspected was known among locals because of a missing front flipper.
“I stumbled on this heartbreaking scene. This little girl, washed up on the beach, strangled to death by a rope, with the remains of a crab pot still attached,” the woman wrote to Facebook.
“Seriously folks, if you set a crab pot, check it. Pretty sure we have seen this poor little girl before with a missing front flipper.”
The woman argued the turtle “wouldn’t have stood a chance” at breaking free from the rope and would have endured “a horrific, painful death”.
“We would much rather see live girls coming up the beach, lay her eggs and make her way back to the sea.”
The post sparked a strong reaction from other residents in the area, condemning irresponsible fisherman and calling on people to dispose of their waste safely.
“This is just so heartbreaking. Poor thing just going along minding her own business and has to go through this agony,” one person wrote in a comment.
In Maryborough, on Queensland’s Fraser Coast, another female was discovered tangled in a crab pot recently.
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“It took 5 hours and 9 people but she’s on the road to recovery thanks to Wildlife Rescue Fraser Coast and my family,” one of her rescuers wrote to Facebook on December 27.
“Keep your eyes peeled, you never know who might need your help. We named her Big Mary and she weighs 140kgs.”
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