The whale was found in Thailand struggling to swim; a necropsy found 80 plastic shopping bags and other debris had caused it to starve.
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A pilot whale was spotted on May 28 in a southern Thailand canal, struggling to swim. A veterinary team rescued the whale, and attempted to treat the malnourished mammal. The whale regurgitated several plastic bags, but died on June 1.
Over 17 pounds of plastic waste were removed from the whale’s stomach during a necropsy, including more than 80 plastic bags and other debris. The whale had starved, because the plastic waste prevented it from eating food.
18 billion pounds of plastics end up in the world’s oceans every year. Avoiding single-use plastics like shopping bags and straws can help reduce the plastics mistakenly ingested by animals.
Read more in “How This Whale Got Nearly 20 Pounds of Plastic in Its Stomach”
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/06/whale-dead-plastic-bags-thailand-animals/
