Dead sea turtle washes up on polluted Lebanon coast

By Mohammed Zaatari| The Daily Star

A dead sea turtle believed to be more than 50 years old washed up on a south Lebanon beach Thursday, after apparently choking on plastic grocery bags it mistook for jellyfish.

The turtle was discovered by a group of young men while exercising on the beach, sources in Tyre told The Daily Star.

Environmentalist Mohammad al-Sariji said it was not the first time that dead sea turtles were washed to the shore in the area which lies close to a protected turtle reserve in Mansouri, south of Tyre.

ā€œIt is common knowledge that sea turtles feed on jellyfish and they sometime swallow plastic bags which they mistake for food, and eventually choke to death,ā€ Sariji said.

Lebanon has badly polluted shores, especially near urban areas where sewers drains lead to the sea, including Beirut, Sidon, Tripoli and Tyre.

Source: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/

Al Hima Magazine 6th Issue

The Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL) has released the sixth issue of Al Hima magazine, focusing on the upcoming IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi (October 8–15, 2025), where SPNL will join four key sessions. The issue features an exclusive interview with IUCN President Razan Al Mubarak, who emphasizes aligning IUCN’s work with global biodiversity agendas, governance, member responsiveness, multilateral engagement, ethical use of technology, and amplifying diverse voices.

Read Previous issues

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