Turtles with bleeding eyes washed off on Australian beaches

Dozens of green turtles have been washed out dead on Australian Beaches.

Wildlife carers are investigating the cause of death of these dying turtles that have washed ashore North of Newcastle with unusual symptoms such as bleeding eyes.

According to the Marine Rescue Group more than 32 green turtles have been dead and washed off at Port Stephen Beaches since last month.

As reported by ABC news, the New South Wales, National Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS) confirmed that they were investigating the unusual death of more than 30 turtles in recent weeks.

Turtles have been discovered at several popular swimming locations, including Shoal Bay, Nelson Bay and Corlette.

Moreover, Sea Shelter founders Lia and Ryan Pereira said the sudden spike was deeply concerning.

The Pereiras have been rescuing marine life through their Irukandji Shark & Ray Encounters business for more than a decade.

“It’s definitely very, very, worrying, in my personal history of working with turtles I have never seen this in Port Stephen,” Miss Pereira told ABC news Newcastle.

Furthermore, the deaths of these Australian turtles are under investigation by multiple agencies, including NSW, the Department of Primary Industries and the Taronga Zoo's Australian Registry of Wildlife Health.

Veterinarian Tom Tran, who works with Sea Shelter, has been conducting necropsies on the turtles.

"We take pictures and tissue samples and send them to a special lab in Sydney," said Dr Tran.

"Those samples are cut into microscopic pieces to help researchers determine where health anomalies may be coming from,“ he added.

The Taronga Zoo registry said in a statement that it had undertaken necropsies on two turtles and was conducting diagnostic testing on samples from a further 15 marine turtles from Port Stephens to understand their cause of death.

"It is too early to establish a definitive diagnosis," the statement concludes.