“He’s Not Dead”: Surfer Kai Lenny and Locals Help Save a Turtle’s Life Nearly Killed by Human’s Mistake

The beauty of surfing and its impact goes above and beyond just charting large waves. The ocean is home to many small and large creatures, and often their habitat is interrupted by man-made activities. While unfortunately, not all of them own their mistakes, surfers bear a responsibility incumbent on them. That sense of responsibility mixed with a deep feeling of empathy is why famed American big wave surfer Kai Lenny recently helped out a sea turtle in need.

Kai Lenny and the locals of a beachside area found a turtle wrapped around in plastic threads, which, in time, could’ve potentially been lethal for the animal. They slowly and meticulously cut the threads and let the adorable creature out of the net.

How an American surfing giant’s act of kindness saved a creature’s life

Big wave surfer Kai Lenny recently took to his Instagram stories and wrote, “He’s not dead. Just resting”. The picture showed a turtle lying on the sandy beach with its limbs and neck out of the shell. However, that was only possible after Lenny and the locals came together to release it from the thread that constricted it.

Lenny shared a few stories, which were snippets from the entire process of cutting open the threading. It was wrapped around the turtle’s neck and limbs in a rather complicated and knot-like manner. It was definitely an arduous task to release the animal from the clasp of the green net-like material.

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The stuff that got tangled with the turtle looked like a mesh of net, not a singular thread that could be cut in one go. Therefore, it was a patience-worthy task to get it untangled.

How plastic pollution is killing marine animals?

Several sea creatures are similar victims of plastic pollution by humans. Mesh-like nets in an ocean most probably end up there for fishing reasons en-masse. It’s not just turtles, but birds, fishes, and other large marine animals all fall prey to this one way or another. Those that don’t get their body parts attached often consume small particles, often chemically induced, and are unable to digest, leading to biomagnification. The Minamata disease in Japan is a classic example of that.

While the issue of plastic pollution still looms large over the marine ecosystem, one basic gesture of kindness from each individual goes a long way. Just like the one Kai Lenny did. As New York City increases security for surfers following double shark attacks, it might be time to also turn the tables and look on the other side about saving animals from human activities as well.

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