They always say a picture is worth a thousand words. But maybe this photo only needs one. HEARTBREAKING. In a world of social media and internet, where the unfortunate atrocities of animal suffering have become more exposed, the anguish of their suffering has become more prominent, with our actions and environmental footprints causing reprehensible harm to these majestic creatures.
In horrifying photos which captured the remains of a Kemps Ridley sea turtle, who suffocated by means of a bruised and bloody asphyxiation, the lifeless turtle, who's bloody neck was still attached to the beach chair, made it very evident the torment of his final moments of life. Trying to escape his inevitable fate by the misguided and abhorrent treatment of this earth with our capacity of trash flooding the oceans was futile. The viral nature of these heart-wrenching photos have since created the hashtags #PickUpYourTrash and #BeNiceToTheBeach, in an attempt to raise awareness for social and environmental responsibility.
A recently resurfaced YouTube video that went viral several years ago, also captured a sea turtle biologist dislodging a straw from a turtle's bleeding nose (where the turtle was also crying in agony), exposing an environmental concern which substantiated the consequences of our careless utility of plastic and the excessive amount of pollution pervading through our vast oceans. The fervent effect of heartfelt emotions from this video was substantial enough to create an awareness and an outpour of support in society for something as simplistic as "why do need straws?" or "how can we contribute to less pollution?."
Starbucks, an American coffee corporation, made a recent announcement in July 2018, that it will phase out the utility of straws its over 28,000 stores by 2020, eliminating the use of more than a billion straws annually, opting for strawless lids or straws made from alternative materials, providing a more steadfast commitment to its global impact and standards of supporting environmentally friendly sustainability. Even companies, such as Adidas, have demonstrated their commitment to environmentally friendly practices by recycling plastic in efficient ways with their new line of running and athletic gear, repurposed from plastic found of the coast of Maldives. The compassion of these global companies, such as Starbucks, Adidas, as well as many other companies, and restaurants around the world who have opted for 'straw by request options,' proves a step in the right direction for the greater benefit of this planet.
Whether it be the lifeless turtle who's neck is covered in blood, strangled by a beach chair, or the turtle who cries in agony as a a plastic straw is dislodged from his breathing cavity, the power of a single turtle in each scenario will forever alter our perception of the consequential environmental impacts. As human beings, we have a responsibility not only to ourselves and to future generations of humans and animals alike, but we are bestowed an immense responsibility to care for this planet through our intentions, our actions, and environmental commitments to leave this earth better than we found it.
The Kemps Ridley sea turtles are classified as an endangered species by the US Fish and Wildlife Organization and classified as the most endangered sea turtles by the WWF global organization.
