Terrible: This is how tar kills sea turtles Israel today

Only six out of 21 turtles that came to the Sea Turtle Rescue Center managed to survive • "Tar sticks to body tissues and prevents them from seeing, eating and breathing"

During the days of the fierce storm, which occurred last month, and accelerated the tar disaster that occurred near it, 21 sea turtles came to the National Center for the Rescue of Sea Turtles of the Nature and Parks Authority, only six of them came alive (among other things, dead sea turtles were collected to monitor Of the tar disaster).

It should be noted that during an average year, only about 160 turtles come to the center.

Operation to rescue sea turtles affected by the tar disaster // Photo: Nature and Parks Authority

The six injured sea turtles - three green and three brown sea turtles - arrived while covered in tar, which covered their upper body as well as their eyes, nostrils, mouth and digestive tract, even after civilians partially assisted in their initial cleaning.

The injured turtles are six months to a year and a half old in the middle of the sea - tens of kilometers from the shoreline and feed on plankton - and as a result of the injury, most of them reached a state they did not see. ", Explains Dr. Yaniv Levy, director of the National Sea Turtle Rescue Center.

The skilled staff at the National Sea Turtle Rescue Center uses, among other things, a special vegetable oil to remove the layers of tar.

In addition, they are aided by mayonnaise that thins the tar that is inside the stomach, and helps and cleanses their digestive system.

Had it not been for the medical treatment, they would have had no chance of surviving.

"The tar adheres to the body's tissues, such as the intestinal wall, and prevents the injured animal from eating," Levy emphasizes the severity of the condition.

By this time the sea turtles have recovered, and they are already eating regular food consisting of fish.

After extensive tests, which included CT scans, the current assessment is that after a period of rehabilitation and additional follow-up, during which they will be strengthened a little more, it will be possible to release them back to sea within a period of one to two months.