Dead green sea turtle found by residents in Legazpi City

A green sea turtle was found dead by residents who were swimming off the coast of Legazpi City, Albay. According to the investigation done by DENR and police, the female turtle drowned. Contributed photo

LEGAZPI CITY, Albay, Philippines — A dead green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) was fished out of the sea off the coast of this city by residents who were swimming Sunday morning.

Ryan Arcinue, 38, told police that he and his family and friends were swimming along the shorelines of Purok seven in Barangay Arimbay when they noticed that a dead green sea turtle was floating 50 meters from the shore at around 9:30 a.m., said Capt. Dexter Panganiban, Albay police spokesperson.

The incident was immediately brought to the attention of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the city police for investigation.

Sheila Conce, DENR head of the investigating team, found that the female sea turtle, which was 2.4 feet long and 2.3 feet in width, had drowned.

After investigations, the dead turtle was buried at the shoreline at around 12:30 p.m.

The green sea turtle is a species of large sea turtle that live in coastal areas and shallow lagoons. It is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.