A sea turtle was discovered dead along the Changi Beach shoreline on Monday morning — it was believed to be an unfortunate victim of a ship propeller accident.
46-year-old Chandran V.R. had been jogging alongside Casuarina Cove Trail (close to Changi Ferry Terminal) at approximately 8.30am when he picked up a nasty scent. He discovered the turtle’s decomposing carcass — its innards were exposed by a badly damaged shell splayed on the shoreline. He alerted the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), leaving location markers for them to pick up so that they could “discard the carcass respectfully”.
According to Ms Anbarasi Boopal, deputy chief executive of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES), in an interview with The Straits Times, they had previously rescued an injured Olive Ridley turtle that was another possible casualty of a propeller. Thankfully, it was released back into the wild after rehabilitation.
Others weren’t so lucky.
A dolphin washed up ashore on a beach at East Coast Park in July 2016, and the July a year before that saw a sperm whale found off the coasts of Jurong Island (its skeleton was exhibited at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum on March 2016). Both sea mammals were found dead on the shoreline.
