One celebration's decor was almost one sea turtle's death sentence.

What's happening?

A loggerhead sea turtle was found in a very weak state at Torrevieja's Los Locos beach in Spain. Local bathers spotted the sea animal and alerted lifeguards, with Oceanografic Valencia staff called to perform the rescue, according to The Olive Press.

The staff made a 400-kilometer round trip to save the animal and bring it to be treated at Oceanografic Valencia, the largest aquarium in Europe.

After an ultrasound analysis and many tests, it was found that the 1-year-old turtle had ingested material from a helium balloon. Part of the balloon was removed, but some was able to stay put to pass naturally.

A representative for the foundation, Borja Yebras, told The Olive Press, "The turtle arrived very thin, dehydrated, and unable to eat with the balloon causing a serious internal infection. We are treating it with medication, fluids, and controlled feeding as well as constantly monitoring its condition."

"Releasing a balloon may seem like an innocent gesture, but these objects can end up being a death trap for many species," he added.

Why is plastic waste in the ocean important?

Big plastic items, like plastic bags and balloons, can be easily mistaken for jellyfish and hydroids, which other sea creatures like to eat. Instead of eating a digestible organism, animals experience an obstruction of their airways or digestive system that can be fatal.

While all types of plastic should not be in the ocean, soft plastic is more dangerous than hard plastic items.

Of all of the plastic items accessed for a 2019 study titled, "A quantitative analysis linking seabird mortality and marine debris ingestion," balloons were found to be the highest-risk debris item, as they were 32 times more likely to result in death than hard plastic.

Plastic in our water is not just in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Every day, we litter an equivalent of 2,000 garbage trucks of plastic into our waterways, adding up to 11 million tons per year.

Do you think we're doing enough to clean trash from the oceans? Yes 👍 Most countries are 🌍 Only some countries are 😓 Not at all 👎 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Over 100,000 marine mammals and 1 million sea birds are killed just from plastic every year, according to Surfers Against Sewage.

What can I do to help save marine mammals from ocean plastic?

While it's impossible to eliminate 100% of our plastic use without government action, we can mitigate our impact by taking control of what we consume in our homes.

Bringing reused grocery bags to the store instead of taking new ones, shopping from zero-waste stores, and growing your own food can reduce a lot of your household plastic.

You can also volunteer your time with organizations that perform ocean clean-ups, or you can travel kindly by staying at hotels that donate to ocean conservation, like those in Kind Traveler's Every Stay Gives Back program.

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