Wounded caretta caretta found in Turkey's south

A caretta caretta, or loggerhead turtle, has been found wounded in a touristic southern province of Turkey. The citizens who discovered the injured turtle made a great effort to ensure its well-being before it could be taken to a rehabilitation center. 

Initially people swimming near a central square in the southern province of Mersin thought they saw someone struggling in the sea. After they swam towards the suspected person they instead found a caretta caretta, one of the symbols of Turkey?s southern coasts, which had suffered a head wound. 

The people pulled the injured turtle out of the water and waited alongside it to protect it from dogs. They also poured water on the turtle to soothe it while waiting for the police. 

Officials from the Mersin Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks were dispatched to the scene and took the turtle to the Sea Turtles Rescue Rehabilitation Center to continue its treatment.

Two days prior to the incident, another caretta caretta was found dead on a beach in the province?s Erdemli district.