9 people died and 78 others were taken to hospital after eating sea turtle meat – World News

Authorities revealed that nine people died and 78 others were hospitalized after eating sea turtle meat on Pemba Island in the Zanzibar archipelago.

Sea turtle meat is a delicacy among the people of Zanzibar although it periodically leads to deaths from botulism, a type of food poisoning.

Dr Haji Bakari, Makwani District Medical Officer, said the adult who died late on Friday was the mother of one of the children who died earlier. He said the turtle meat was consumed on Tuesday.

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Bakari said that laboratory tests confirmed that all the victims ate sea turtle meat.

Authorities in Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous region in the East African nation of Tanzania, sent a disaster management team led by Hamza Hassan Juma, who urged people to avoid consuming sea turtles.

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In November 2021, seven people, including a 3-year-old child, died in Pemba after eating turtle meat while three others were hospitalized.

It comes as 52 endangered Kemp's Ridley sea turtles suffering from “cold stunning” are being rehabilitated at four facilities in Florida after a flight on a private plane from the New England Aquarium in Massachusetts.

The turtles arrived in Tampa on Tuesday, and 16 of them were sent to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, officials said in a news release. All of the turtles were suffering from a condition known as cold shock from the freezing New England waters.

The other turtles were taken to Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, and the Loggerhead Sea Life Center in Jupiter.

“This is a regular occurrence every winter, and we have been involved in the ongoing care of these turtles since 2016,” said Shelly Marquardt, a veterinarian at the Clearwater facility. “We know that the time they spend rehabilitating here makes a difference for the future of this endangered species, and we are proud to be able to contribute to their conservation efforts.”

Sea turtles are cold-blooded reptiles that adapt to the temperature of their surrounding environment. During prolonged exposure to icy water temperatures, turtles' circulatory systems slow down and the turtles are unable to swim or function properly.

The turtles will continue their rehabilitation at the aquarium, where guests are welcome to visit and watch their journey. Eventually, the turtles will be returned to their natural habitat.

Florida saw a record number of sea turtle nests this year. Preliminary state statistics show there are more than 133,840 loggerhead turtle nests, breaking the record set in 2016. The same is true for green turtles, with estimates of at least 76,500 nests well above the previous high set in 2017.