Scientists Remove Plastic Straw From Sea Turtle’s Nostril in Heartbreaking Video

There’s no better way to enjoy an ice-cold beverage on a hot day than to sip it using a plastic drinking straw! But have you ever thought how much damage it can cause the environment?

Drinking straws have existed even before 3000 BCE, and as the drinking straw was patented in the late 1800s by Marvin Stone, many other different types of straws have been invented. Drinking straws made of plastic, in particular, are the most popular as they are cheap and easy to mold. However, these plastic drinking straws are not only harmful to the environment; they can also be fatal to many animal species.

When Nathan Robinson and Christine Figgener were in their in-water research trip in Costa Rica, they found a male Olive Ridley sea turtle with something lodged on its left nostril.

They initially thought it was a parasitic worm, but were horrified to discover that it was a plastic drinking straw!

Watching the researchers pull out the straw from the poor turtle’s nostril is just painful to watch. You can hear the turtle cry in pain as he bleeds while the straw is being removed.

After almost 8 minutes of excruciating pain, the turtle was finally relieved of his agony – the 12-centimeter straw was finally removed from its nostril!

As difficult and as painful it is to imagine how the straw was removed, here is the actual footage of the poor turtle’s ordeal:

So, would you still be using a plastic straw the next time you drink your favorite ice-cold beverage?

H/T: Wikipedia, Chris Figgener