Scientists were eager to find out what caused the tiny sperm whale that ended up on a Spanish beach earlier this year. After noting the presence of more than 30kg of plastic waste in his stomach, they believe they have found the answer.
The ten meter long sperm whale ended up on the edge of the sand in Cabo de Palos, in the Spanish region of Murcia.
Sperm whales usually eat large squid, octopus, small sharks and other seafood, but this sperm whale also ingested bundles of straw, plastic bags, string, nets, drum rope and a water container.
Experts have speculated that the whale, unable to process or eliminate waste from its body, is likely suffering from a stomach ailment.
Consuelo Rosauro, General Director of Environment of Murcia, said that “the presence of plastic in waters and oceans is one of the greatest attacks on the protection of flora and fauna, since many animals are trapped in garbage or ingest large quantities of plastic, ultimately costing them their lives.
Around one hundred and fifty million tonnes of plastic float in our oceans today, with an additional eight million tonnes added to the water each year.
