Pregnant sperm whale carcass washed up on beach with 22kg of plastic waste in its stomach
Last week, the carcass of a sperm whale washed up in the tourist area of Sardinia, Italy. The Italian environment minister and the head of the Marine Life charity said 22 kilograms of plastic waste and a formed stillbirth were found in its stomach. (CNN) The sperm whale, measuring 8 meters (26 feet) long, washed up last week on a beach in Porto Cervo, a tourist area on Sardinia island, CNN reported on April 1. Luca Bitto, director of the public charity Sea Life, said the stranded carcass contained "garbage bags, fishing nets, fishing line, tubes, a packet of laundry detergent that could still identify the brand and barcode, and other unidentifiable objects." The whale also had a formed foetus inside, but she had "miscarried before being stranded on shore", Mr Bitto added.
Bitto said the exact cause of death would be known after histology and toxicology tests by veterinarians in the northeastern Italian city of Pavado.Environment Minister Sergio Costa wrote on Facebook: "Can anyone still say these questions are not important? In my opinion, they are not only important, they are a top priority."
"For the past few years, we have carelessly enjoyed the convenience of disposable items, and now, we are going to suffer the consequences. But in reality, it's the animals who are bearing the consequences for us." Costa added.
According to CNN reported on March 28, the European Parliament passed a bill by 560 votes in favor of 35 votes against, with 28 abstentions, which provides for a total ban on the use of a wide range of single-use plastic products such as straws, cutlery and cotton swabs in EU countries from 2021. Costa also mentioned the bill in his article.
"Italy will be one of the first countries to implement this law. The war against single-use plastics has already begun and we will not stop." "He wrote.
In recent years, Marine creatures have been found stranded with stomachs full of plastic waste. On March 16, a young male Koh's beaked whale was stranded off the southern coast of the Philippines after 40 kilograms of plastic waste was found in its stomach, the Philippine Business Daily reported. The mass of plastic bags prevented him from eating and from swimming back out to sea, where he died in a state of dehydration and starvation.