Scientists were keen to discover the cause of death of the sperm whale that washed up on a Spanish beach earlier this year. After finding more than 30kg of plastic in its stomach, they believe they know the cause.
The 10-metre-long sperm whale was found on the beach at Cabo de Palos in the Spanish region of Murcia. Normally, sperm whales feed on huge squid, octopus, small sharks and other shellfish, but this sperm whale had also ingested straw bags, plastic bags, ropes, nets, a drum line and a plastic water container.
Experts have speculated that the sperm whale, unable to process or eliminate waste from its body, likely died from a stomach illness. Consuelo Rosauro, Director General of Environment in Murcia, said: “The presence of plastic in the ocean and seas is one of the greatest threats to wildlife conservation worldwide, as many animals become trapped in waste or ingest large amounts of plastic that ultimately cause their death.”
Currently, around 150 million tonnes of plastic are floating in our oceans, with another eight million tonnes added every year.
