1m-long sea turtle found dead at Changi Beach
A sea turtle more than a metre long was found dead on Changi Beach yesterday, believed to have been cut by a ship's propeller.
Mr Chandran V. R. told The Straits Times that he was jogging at about 8.30am when he saw the carcass from a distance.
"At first I thought - how come this bulky item is there. Initially, I didn't know what it was," said the 46-year-old managing director of a real estate agency.
He was jogging along the Casuarina Cove Trail, near the Changi Ferry Terminal, when he noticed a bad smell.
Mr Chandran went closer and saw the dead turtle on the beach.
"It looked like it had been dead for at least two to three days," he said.
He then contacted the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), as he "didn't want anyone to disrespect this carcass".
"It is a beautiful creature which got into trouble and lay dead on our shores. I just wanted the carcass to be discarded respectfully," said Mr Chandran.
He added that he believed AVA had retrieved the carcass, based on location markers he sent to them.
"You don't usually get to see a turtle of that size in Singapore waters," he said.
DISMAY
Ms Anbarasi Boopal, deputy chief executive of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres), expressed dismay at the turtle's death.
She told The Straits Times that Acres had previously rescued an injured olive ridley turtle that was also possibly hit by a propeller.
It was rehabilitated and released into the wild.
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