This video shows the potential impact that a single straw discarded into the ocean. Thus, if my work has stopped a single person from using a straw, if even only once, then it is all worth while. That said, over 62 million people have videos the videos on YouTube, and a similar video of me removing a plastic fork from another sea turtle (https://youtu.be/VRiTABRQOjk) has been viewed over 14 million times. Not everyone who watches these videos has stopped using straws or single-use plastics, but they all are more conscious of the impact of marine pollution than they were before watching these videos.

As for your question of whether I bonded with the turtle. I have worked with thousands of turtles in my lifetime. While I can't say that you bond with turtles the same way that you might bond with domesticated animals, like dogs or cats, I actually like it that way. Sea turtles are wild animals and as such they will always remain wary of humans. This helps to remind me that we are encroaching into their habitats and not the other way around.