Lucky Duck: The Sea Turtle Who Took On a Shark, Ate Plastic, and Still Keeps Swimming

A green sea turtle with the name “Lucky Duck” is now fighting for its life—and winning—at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island. This little guy came in battered, bitten, and full of plastic. But somehow, he’s still going.

Back in late June, someone visiting the Outer Banks spotted Lucky Duck injured by the shore. A quick call to the sea turtle rescue group N.E.S.T. kicked off the rescue. Once the team brought him in on June 25, things got real.

A scan showed Lucky had a fractured shell. That’s bad enough. But then came the gut punch—literally. His intestines were packed with microplastics. Bags, wrappers, bits of who-knows-what. It looked like a junk drawer exploded inside him.

To show just how much plastic came out of this turtle, the aquarium put it all on display. Not for shock value—just to drive home the truth: single-use plastic is wrecking wildlife.

So far, Lucky’s been on a rehab diet of protein and leafy greens to push out the plastic and get his system back on track. And it’s working. He’s swimming fine, healing up, and doing turtle things like a champ. The team says he’s navigating like a pro, even with that damaged shell.

Here’s the part people forget—turtles don’t know the difference between a jellyfish and a plastic bag. To them, it’s food. But what they’re swallowing is pure poison. It fills them up without giving them any nutrients. That’s a slow death.

The S.T.A.R. Center at the aquarium has been saving turtles like Lucky since 2014. They’ve treated everything from pneumonia and eye infections to frostbite and boat injuries. Once the turtles recover, they’re sent back where they belong—into the ocean or the nearby Croatan Sound.

Leslie Vegas, the husbandry curator, put it best: “These animals have stories. And they make people care. Lucky Duck is just one example of why this kind of conservation work matters.”

The aquarium turns 50 next year. And if you ask me, stories like Lucky Duck’s are the best way to celebrate.

You can read more or support their work at ncaquariums.com/roanoke-island.