A distressing real‑time rescue in which marine biologists remove a plastic fork from an olive ridley sea turtle’s nose, revealing the consequences of oceanic plastic pollution.

Filmed during a research project in Costa Rica, this widely viewed video captures marine biologist Dr Nathan J. Robinson and the Leatherback Trust team removing a plastic fork lodged deep inside the nostril of an olive ridley sea turtle. The close‑up rescue highlights both the immediate harm caused by single‑use plastics and the delicate fieldwork required to treat affected marine animals.

This footage follows Robinson’s earlier involvement in the similarly viral “sea turtle with a straw in its nostril” video, which amassed millions of views worldwide and inspired a wave of public outrage over ocean plastics. Both YouTube videos played a key role in drawing global attention to the issue and helped to catalyse discussions that led to plastic‑straw bans in several countries.

The turtle’s struggle as the fork is removed makes the impact of plastic pollution painfully clear, offering a first‑hand glimpse of suffering that statistics alone can’t convey, and shows why such footage continues to spark global outrage online.