Whale dead after chowing down on 80 plastic bags
- 6 years ago
SOUTHERN THAILAND — A whale perished in Thailand last week after eating over six dozen plastic bags.
According to AFP, the male pilot whale was found struggling to stay alive in a canal in southern Thailand near the Malaysian border.
A team of veterinary staff tried to help the wounded creature but its condition got the best of him last Friday afternoon
The AFP reports that officials found 80 plastic bags inside the whale's belly — weighing a combined 8 kilograms. Those chunks of plastic were likely consumed by the whale, which probably thought they were squid or other fish.
A marine biologist told AFP it's a huge problem, explaining that 300 marine animals die in Thailand each year after eating plastic. That number not only applies to pilot whales, but also sea turtles and dolphins.
According to nonprofit organization Sea Turtle Conservancy, over 100 marine animals are killed annually due to plastic debris in the ocean. The conservancy says that there's 100 million tons of plastic in the world's oceans.
According to AFP, the male pilot whale was found struggling to stay alive in a canal in southern Thailand near the Malaysian border.
A team of veterinary staff tried to help the wounded creature but its condition got the best of him last Friday afternoon
The AFP reports that officials found 80 plastic bags inside the whale's belly — weighing a combined 8 kilograms. Those chunks of plastic were likely consumed by the whale, which probably thought they were squid or other fish.
A marine biologist told AFP it's a huge problem, explaining that 300 marine animals die in Thailand each year after eating plastic. That number not only applies to pilot whales, but also sea turtles and dolphins.
According to nonprofit organization Sea Turtle Conservancy, over 100 marine animals are killed annually due to plastic debris in the ocean. The conservancy says that there's 100 million tons of plastic in the world's oceans.