At 10am yesterday (June 8), beachgoer Mr Chanyut Butkrim, 27, was alerted of the stranded sea turtle by a Russian tourist so immediately went to help the stranded animal and managed to safely bring it to shore.
Mr Chanyut said, “The turtle had its front right flipper stuck in a fishing net so I called officials from the Phuket Marine Biology Centre (PMBC) to come and assist.
“While we were waiting for officials to arrive we tried to help the turtle.
“When I first tried to cut the fishing net I couldn’t, so I grabbed a glass bottle from nearby, broke it and then used a piece to cut the net. This took us two hours.
“The turtle had a wound where its leg had been caught,” Mr Chanyut added.
Director of the PMBC Dr Kongkiet Kittiwattanwong told The Phuket News today (June 9), “I received information about the turtle yesterday afternoon and confirm it is an Olive Ridley and between 15-20 years of age. I’m not sure of its gender just yet.
“The turtle has a very serious injury, the wound on its front right flipper is right down to its bone and the flesh around the wound is dead.
“We have given the turtle medicine, and the next step is to operate, we will have to amputate its flipper,” he said.
“After the operation we will have to take care of the turtle for about a year before we decide what can happen to it,” he added.