Beached sea turtle had ingested 317 plastic pieces (AP)

SYDNEY – A marine biologist says a green sea turtle that washed ashore in Australia likely starved to death after swallowing 317 pieces of plastic.

Rochelle Ferris with Australian Seabird Rescue says a necropsy on the turtle found fishing line, packing tape, lolly pop sticks, lids and a variety of plastic bags.

She said the turtle's digestive system became impacted with material it couldn't digest and the animal slowly starved.

The 15-inch (40 centimeter) turtle was found earlier this month at Ballina, on the New South Wales far north coast.

Ferris said she was aware of 40 to 50 turtles suffering from plastic ingestion each year, but this was "the worst case we've seen."

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Center opens to protect rare turtle in Cambodia (AP)

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – An extremely rare soft-shell turtle species has a new, protected home in Cambodia.

The critically endangered Cantor's giant soft-shell turtles is one of the rarest freshwater turtles in the world. Scientists last saw one in the Cambodian wild in 2003, and small numbers have been seen in neighboring Laos.

U.S.-based Conservation International says it opened the Mekong Turtle Conservation Center on Wednesday in Kratie province, 160 kilometers (100 miles) northeast of Phnom Penh.

An 18-kilogram (40-pound) female turtle was released into the conservation pond at a Buddhist pagoda at the center's launch.

The species can grow up to 2 meters (6 feet) in length and weigh more than 50 kilograms (110 pounds.

Yahoo! News

Turtle sparks fast-moving blaze in NYC apartment

NEW YORK (AP) — Fire officials say a lumbering pet turtle sparked a fast-moving fire in a New York City apartment after crawling out of its tank and knocking over the terrarium's heat lamp.

Giovani, a 6-year-old African tortoise about the size of a soccer ball, survived. But officials say one firefighter and three police officers suffered smoke inhalation in Monday's fire in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

Another turtle that lived in a water tank was killed.

The New York Post says both reptiles resided in their owner's bedroom. Eighteen-year-old Mohamed Salem and his family were not home at the time.

Fire officials say the heat lamp crashed to the floor, igniting a pile of art supplies, including thinner and paint. Within minutes, the Post reports, the fire spread through the third floor apartment.

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Turtle sparks fast-moving blaze in NYC apartment

NEW YORK (AP) — Fire officials say a lumbering pet turtle sparked a fast-moving fire in a New York City apartment after crawling out of its tank and knocking over the terrarium's heat lamp.

Giovani, a 6-year-old African tortoise about the size of a soccer ball, survived. But officials say one firefighter and three police officers suffered smoke inhalation in Monday's fire in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

Another turtle that lived in a water tank was killed.

The New York Post says both reptiles resided in their owner's bedroom. Eighteen-year-old Mohamed Salem and his family were not home at the time.

Fire officials say the heat lamp crashed to the floor, igniting a pile of art supplies, including thinner and paint. Within minutes, the Post reports, the fire spread through the third floor apartment.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.We've updated the Conversation Guidelines. Changes include a brief review of the moderation process and an explanation on how to use the "Report Abuse" button. Read more.

USATODAY.com

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.