14 DAY TRIAL // Presently, hawksbill sea turtles are considered a critically endangered species. Because of this, green groups trying to save them from going extinct were quite glad to hear that one such animal has recently been found swimming in Pakistan's waters.
Truth be told, the turtle was not exactly swimming at the time when folks became aware of its presence in the area. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF, for short), it was entangled in a fishing net, unable to free itself.
On its website, the organization details that, shortly after being found, the turtle was freed, measured and weighed, and then allowed to return to its home in the ocean.
“The turtle was found entangled in a net by local fishermen and was later confirmed to be a hawksbill by WWF-Pakistan,” the green group says.
“The crew carefully removed the hawksbill from the net, photographed the individual and successfully released it back to sea unharmed,” it adds.
Information shared with the public says that the marine creature measured about 47 centimeters (roughly 18.5 inches) from head to tail.
Wildlife specialists say that this indicate that it was only a teenager, or maybe a young adult.
Thus, turtles belonging to this species have been documented to grow to measure about 1 meter (about 3.3 feet) in length, and also weigh and impressive 80 kilograms (over 176 pounds).
Otherwise put, the hawksbill sea turtle found in Pakistan still has a lot of growing up to do.
What's interesting is that, if the WWF is right, this turtle is the first of its kind to have ever been discovered swimming off Pakistan's coast.
Conservationists estimate that, for the time being, just 50,000 hawksbill turtles are left in the world. This means that, over the course of just one century, the overall headcount for this species dropped by about 80%.
Commenting on the discovery of a hawksbill turtle in Pakistan's waters, Rab Nawaz with the WWF said that, “The confirmation of a hawksbill turtle in Pakistan is a new addition to the diversified marine fauna of the country. This finding is good news for the species.”
“After 18 years of working these waters, finding the hawksbill was the most exciting catch I’ve ever made. I am glad that we had the awareness raising from WWF to record the find and save the turtle,” added Shah Zamin, the captain of the boat whose crew found the turtle.