A large green sea turtle estimated to be about 100 years old has died after being struck by a boat near Hervey Bay. The turtle was found injured and distressed by a tour boat near Urangan Harbour.
Tour boat operator Peter Lynch said the animal swam towards the vessel 'looking for help' after they slowed down. The turtle had deep cuts to its head and shell, weighing about 100 kilograms and measuring one metre in length.
Wildlife Rescue Fraser Coast transported the turtle to a vet in Maryborough, but due to the severity of its injuries, the vet was forced to euthanase the animal. Wildlife rescuer Natalie Richardson described the turtle as 'a huge, big old turtle' that had survived much in its life.
Richardson noted that while boat injuries like this are rare, other injured turtles are common. She said turtles with injuries cannot dive to feed and may starve or become more vulnerable to predators and further boat strikes.
She urged the public to report injured wildlife, emphasizing that most incidents are human-caused, such as pollution, rubbish, fishing line, and boat strikes. The death of this large turtle is a significant loss, as only about one in a thousand sea turtles reach breeding size.
