Photos: Rare breed gigantic turtle found dead at beach
A rare breed of turtle has been found dead on a beach in Singapore.
BBC reports that the endangered sea turtle which looked like it had been "sliced into half", apparently by boat propellers was spotted by a Singaporean animal lover named, Chandran V R.
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The 46-year-old real estate managing director told BBC News that he found the carcass washed ashore on a remote part of Changi beach on the north-east of the island, near a ferry terminal.
"It was the start of the new year and I decided to go jogging along the coastal stretch which is generally quiet and sees very few people," he said.
Mr Chandran said an "overpowering smell" first caught his attention.
"I decided to take a closer look. One thing led to another and I found the dead turtle."
The creature was not moving but had a deep open gash across its body, though its head and flippers were intact.
"I was very alarmed and sad to see such a graceful and giant rare creature lying dead on our shores," said Mr Chandran.
"It had probably been struck by a ship in the waters."
He phoned the police and gave them information about the carcass as well as its location. Government officials later got in touch with Mr Chandran, saying the carcass was recovered.
Sea turtles are highly threatened and many species have been classified "endangered" or "critically endangered".
While conservation has helped boost population numbers, they still face grave threats from man such as becoming tangled in fishing nets. They are often killed for their shells, which are used commonly used in tourist souvenirs and their eggs are also harvested and collected.
Sightings of them in Singapore, an island city-state, remain rare, according to the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) charity.
Source: Legit.ng
