Disease or Death Sentence?
By: Savannah W. Abby D. Andria C.
What's The Big Deal?
May 12th, 2016
Pollution on Population
What Have We Caused?
What is fibropapillomas?
Fibropapillomas is a disease that is created though pollution, "when pollution contaminates and kills aquatic plant and animal life, it also destroys feeding habitats for sea turtles. Oil spills and urban runoff of chemicals and fertilizers all contribute to water pollution. An estimated 36% of all marine pollution from oil comes through drains and rivers from cities." And why this disease matters is because it is fatal. Fatalities for sea turtles have been increasing as the disease when present will cause "tumors are present in or around a turtle’s mouth and eyes and can limit the turtle’s ability to find food.". Which is part of how the turtle with FP, or fibropapillomas, will eventually die. Tumors caused by FP can do as much as making eating or breathing hard, reproduction unsuccessful, potential eyesight problems or even blindness; which is part of why humans need to stop polluting.
This is why it has been strongly suggested we do something. This is why organization Keeper of the Ocean is to make a hotline to report and bring in turtles with the disease as so we can find out more on FP and so it can be beaten. This is why this organization is to turn to fining those who pollute in oceans or even those who cause light pollution at night which may disrupt breeding or hatching turtles, since both are highly important to the population of sea turtles these fines will ensure less people mess with the turtles and more people will be careful of these beautiful animals. Also the organization announced that it would be fighting to use those funds towards the healing and research of FP in sea turtles.
Works Cited
Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. "Fibropapillomatosis | Gumbo Limbo Nature Center." Home | Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2016.
Turtles. n.d. .org. Web. <http://www.turtles.org/9742.jpg>.