WATCH: Men Who Saved Turtled Trapped In Plastic Waste On Maltese Beach Go Hugely Viral
A video of two English men rescuing a turtle on a Maltese beach has been doing the rounds online over the last couple of days, quickly going viral.
The original video, which is nearly nine minutes long, was uploaded to YouTube back in 2014, but has recently resurfaced. In the video, Nick Britton and his friend Mike stumbled upon a turtle trapped trapped in plastic waste in Imġiebaħ Bay.
When they realised they didn’t have a pocket knife to set the turtle free, the men quickly resorted to another plan. One of the men runs off to the car, bringing back a lighter to carefully burn off the turtle’s shackles.
After a couple of attempts, the pair manage to relieve the turtle (which they named Terry) from the string of plastic waste attached to its neck. Terry the turtle can then be seen swimming off into the distance.
“We were just exploring in the car and we stopped at the beach,” Nick told Lovin Malta. “The turtle was stuck on some rocks out of the water with no way to get back in. It was only when Mike picked it up that we saw it was attached to a plastic bottle.”
“It was an emotional moment for the both of us seeing it swim away.”
Shortened versions of Britton’s original 2014 video started being shared earlier this month, with each upload amassing millions of views.
NTD Life‘s 2nd November upload received over 4 million views, Viral TRND got 737,000 views, and Facebook viral page UniLad‘s upload earlier today is already sitting on more than 1 million views.
“The music really adds to the emotions felt on the day in Malta,” Britton commented on one of the viral pages’ reuploads.
Every iteration of the video comes with slightly different messages at the end, but one common denominator is Nick and Mike’s closing statement.
“I think there’s a lesson to be learned there,” Nick says as the camera pans to the beach, which appeared riddled with waste. “If you come down to the beach, just take your bloody rubbish with you, because some innocent turtle might swim into it and end up on the beach dying. So don’t be lazy, take your rubbish with you.”
If you come across a turtle trapped in waste, always call Nature Trust Malta‘s Wildlife Rescue Team on 99 999 505. If it is in immediate danger, free it from its entanglement, but stay with it until NTM arrive on the scene since it might also need rehabilitation to swim well before being freed into the sea.
Share this article and help raise awareness about turtles!
READ NEXT: Meet Geraldine, The Latest Turtle To Be Saved In Maltese Waters
