IAS Officer Shares Heartwarming Video Of Tunisia Man Rescuing Turtle From Plastic Net

Plastic pollution has become a significant environmental threat, extending its harmful reach to both land and sea. This plastic waste finds its way into water bodies like lakes, rivers and oceans. As a result, marine animals often become entangled in plastic debris, leading to distressing situations where escape is nearly impossible. A recent video circulating online highlights a touching rescue, where a man saves a turtle caught in a plastic fishing net.

IAS officer Supriya Sahu shared a video on X, expressing her appreciation to Tunisia-based Mechergui Ala who saved a sea turtle trapped in a fish net. In the video, Ala, who regularly shares his spearfishing activities on Instagram, encountered a turtle struggling in the water entangled in a plastic net. Without hesitation, Ala pulled the turtle aboard his boat and used a knife to carefully cut the net that was tightly wound around the turtle’s neck. The ropes had also wrapped around the turtle’s legs, which Ala gently freed before releasing the turtle back into the sea.

“Death by plastic Thank you for Mechergui Ala saving this precious turtle #stopplasticpollution,” Sahu wrote in the caption.

The video, shared on August 16, gained widespread attention, sparking a lively debate among social media users. While many praised Ala for his heroic effort in rescuing the turtle, others also discussed the broader issue of plastic pollution and its devastating impact on the environment.

One user expressed, “Absolutely heartbreaking! Thanks for sharing & saving this turtle, Mechergui Ala! It’s HIGH TIME we take action to control ocean-bound plastics! Let’s all work together to reduce plastic waste, increase recycling & protect our marine life.#BreakFreeFromPlastic #SaveOurOceans.”

Another added, “Thanku Mechergui Ala, plastic pollution is a very big problem,it is very important that we discuss solutions to plastic pollution.”

“Very sad…Thanks to these gud souls for doing what they are doing. Plastic isn’t bad…People not using and being careful about disposing them properly are,” someone else shared.

A viewer remarked, “So sad. For each marine animal saved there should be 1000s which will die a slow and painful death, due to abandoned plastics, nets etc.”

Expressing frustration, an individual wrote, “How on Earth, human beings are throwing plastics in the ocean so carelessly, very well knowing that it’s a very wrong thing to do, the marine living beings are getting entangled in these plastics and some consume these plastics unknowingly, which is gonna harm these creatures.”

“The effects of our unregulated and unsustainable fishing practices,” another commenter added.

The post has received over 12,500 views so far.