S’pore Lady Bitten By Sea Turtle While Snorkelling In M’sia, Suffers Abrasion On Arm

Lady Bitten By Sea Turtle While Snorkelling In Waters Off Pulau Redang In Malaysia

While most wildlife we casually encounter seem harmless, we may forget that they’re still wild animals. An unpleasant experience with a sea turtle in the waters off Pulau Redang, Malaysia, became a painful reminder of that for a lady from Singapore.

As the creature swam past the lady, it bit her right arm and left an abrasion that measured about 7cm long.

Family members visited Pulau Redang to snorkel

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, 59-year-old Ms Liang shared that she had travelled to Terengganu in Malaysia on Monday (5 Sep) with two other family members.

The day after, the trio headed to Pulau Redang to snorkel and see sea creatures like corals, turtles, and sharks in the flesh.

At about 3pm that day, when a boatman brought them out to sea, Ms Liang claimed she saw about 10 turtles swimming in the waters.

One of them, in particular, was just one metre away from her.

As Ms Liang put her head into the water, she saw the turtle glancing at her. Moments later when she emerged from the water, the amphibian did exactly the same.

The turtle then swam past Ms Liang, and soon after, she felt a tenderness on her right arm.

Sea turtle bite mark allegedly measured 7cm

When Ms Liang inspected her arm afterwards on the boat, she observed that a large patch of skin on her right arm had swelled up.

According to her, the swollen area measured about 7cm — roughly the size of the turtle’s mouth.

Seeing her injuries, some tourists offered medicated oil for Ms Liang to apply to her wound.

However, as there wasn’t any bleeding, she chose not to visit a clinic for further medical attention.

During her interview with Shin Min Daily, Ms Liang’s swelling had subsided substantially, leaving behind just bruise marks.

Sea turtle bite incidents apparently very rare

Recounting the incident, Ms Liang said she did not touch the turtles. She is thus confused as to why one of them had bitten her.

One of the workers on the island apparently told her that incidents involving turtle bites are extremely rare. He had allegedly never heard of tourists being bitten by turtles in the decades he had been working there.

Though the incident hasn’t completely put Ms Liang off snorkelling in the future, she confessed that she doesn’t dare to see turtles in the sea ever again, reports Shin Min Daily.

Turtles may bite as a defensive mechanism when they’re startled

An ACRES spokesperson told Shin Min Daily that sea turtles are docile creatures and would much prefer to swim away in the face of threats.

However, the spokesperson said that turtles might resort to biting as a defensive mechanism when they’re startled.

The location where the incident took place might also be the turtles’ feeding ground. The presence of people might therefore heighten the amphibians’ stress levels.

Despite their gentle nature, the spokesperson said that turtles remain wild creatures, and as a precaution, urged members of the public not to overcrowd areas where turtles are present.

The spokesperson also advised members of the public from feeding such creatures, which isn’t ideal for the animals or the environment.

We hope the injuries sustained by Ms Liang weren’t too serious and that she has a smooth recovery.

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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News and Christoph on Flickr, for illustration purposes only.