A JUVENILE green turtle was found washed ashore at Mawilla beach, in Labuan, yesterday evening. 

The carcass measuring 45cm long by 33cm wide was found by a passerby who notified a former conservationist of the sea turtle protection voluntary force in Sabah, Daniel Doughty.

The turtle had injury marks around its body, probably due to being hit by a boat propeller.

The discovery was then reported to Bernama journalist Jailani Hasan who then notified the Labuan Fisheries Department at 7.21pm.

The passerby initially believed the turtle was alive as he thought he saw it moving in the sand, but the conservationist and Labuan Veterinary Services director, Dr Marysia James Abie confirmed that it was already dead.

Dr Marysia said it was not possible to identify the cause of the turtle’s death as it was already autolysed, as such a post-mortem could not be conducted.

“The dead turtle, an endangered species, was decomposing in the surf for more than 72 hours. Its skin had already started to peel off and its neck and tail were bloated, all signs of decomposition,” she added.

Labuan Fisheries Department director, Faizal Suhaili Ibrahim ordered that the carcass be buried at the beach.

The last time, a dead green turtle (without head and tail) was found, was at Layang-Layang beach, in Labuan on September 7, 2021. – Bernama, September 18, 2022.