Green turtle with injured flipper treated in Sydney

A green turtle has undergone treatment at a centre in Sydney after getting its flipper caught in a fishing line. The turtle arrived at Taronga Wildlife Hospital in Sydney on 20 January from Port Stephens.

After undergoing a preliminary examination in Port Stephens, vets in Sydney x-rayed the turtle and found the fishing lines had cut into the flipper impacting the soft tissue close to the bone. A fish hook in the animal's neck also showed up in the x-ray.

The Taronga Veterinary team treated the wounds and attempted to retrieve the fish hook but were not successful. Despite this, the turtle appeared to be able to move freely and was largely unaffected by the hook.

The turtle, who was believed to be female, recovered well at Taronga's Wildlife Intensive Care department, eating squid and swimming around. Taronga's two Wildlife Hospitals provide vital emergency assistance to all kinds of sick and injured native animals.