Story By Marija Stojkoska
News Editor Ajda Ender
This is the moment amateur fishermen rescue a sea turtle after spotting it struggling in the sea with a paving stone tied to its leg with a rope, repeatedly sinking as the weight dragged it underwater.
Fishermen rescue turtle tied with a stone to its leg in Kusadasi district of Aydin, Turkey, undated. Note: Photo is a screenshot from a video. (Newsflash/NX)
The incident happened at the Kusadasi district of Aydin, western Turkey, on 17th June.
Amateur fishermen Ahmet Sahin and Haluk Turgut were out on their boat fishing when they noticed the sea turtle repeatedly sinking and surfacing in distress.
The pair immediately steered towards the animal after realising something was seriously wrong.
As they got closer, they said they discovered the Caretta caretta sea turtle with the paving stone tied to its leg using a rope.
The fishermen attempted to bring the exhausted animal alongside their boat in order to free it from the weight dragging it underwater but it was hard to catch.
Ahmet and Haluk then spend around two hours carefully trying to catch the sea turtle, and then cut through the rope securing the heavy stone.
Despite difficult conditions and limited equipment, the pair eventually managed to sever the rope and remove the stone.
The video shows one of the fishermen leaning over the side of the boat to cut the rope from the turtle’s leg with scissors after retrieving the concrete paving brick.
Fishermen rescue turtle tied with a stone to its leg in Kusadasi district of Aydin, Turkey, undated. Note: Photo is a screenshot from a video. (Newsflash/NX)
Once freed, the sea turtle is released back into the Aegean Sea and slowly swims away by going under the boat.
The fisherman then holds up the large stone to the camera, appearing visibly upset by the act.
Ahmet Sahin later described the shocking moment they first realised what had been done to the animal.
He said: “We went out fishing in the morning and saw an animal sinking and rising in the water, so we headed over. We couldn’t believe what we saw.
“They had deliberately tied a paving stone to its leg and thrown it in.
“A person with a conscience would never even imagine this. We struggled for hours, but eventually managed to catch and save it.”
Caretta carettas are marine turtles that breathe air using lungs rather than gills, meaning they must regularly surface to take in oxygen.
Fishermen rescue turtle tied with a stone to its leg in Kusadasi district of Aydin, Turkey, undated. Note: Photo is a screenshot from a video. (Newsflash/NX)
Without the ability to reach the surface, the animal would have been unable to breathe, leaving it in a life-threatening situation.
The rescue has been widely praised locally, with the fishermen’s actions seen as an example of swift intervention that saved the turtle’s life.
(Marija Stojkoska/Newsflash)
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