Translated from Ecomare museum, on Texel island in the Netherlands; about Belgium:
Whale killed by plastic – 03.13.13
A young Minke whale washed ashore last weekend on the beach of Nieuwpoort. It was a male, 3.5 meter long and 400 kilogram, so a small one. The whale was still so fresh that researchers believe that the young animal died on the beach. The researchers also discovered why the whale got into trouble ….. there was 400 grams of plastic bags in its stomach.
Constipated
The minke whale was brought for examination to the University of Liège, where veterinarian Thierry Jauniaux went in search of the cause of death. The plastic bags soon gave him a clue. The plastic caused an almost complete obstruction of the digestive tract, causing the animal to be no longer able to feed; finally, starvation killed it. The stranded minke whale was remarkably thin.
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Reblogged this on bearspawprint.
Thanks for reblogging!
This saddens and disgusts me…..
Yes, there should be measures against plastic pollution of the sea, urgently so.
Maybe this
http://dearkitty1.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/belgian-plastic-soup-pollution-solution/
will help.
I cannot stand plastic bags especially plastic bags used by stores. I try to carry my re-usable cloth bags whenever I can and decline the bag if I’m able to…..so sad…
Yes, plastic is not only a problem for whales, but also for seabirds:
http://dearkitty1.wordpress.com/2012/08/23/seabirds-die-from-eating-plastic/
Reblogged this on Ann Novek–With the Sky as the Ceiling and the Heart Outdoors.
Thank you, Ann!
Very sad, I’ve read there is a massive amount of plastic and other debris in the world’s oceans. Such a shame it is a dumping ground and marine life suffers.
Indeed. And some ships also still pollute seas with oil, though that it is illegal.
In the late 1980s I worked on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. Late one night, I was shocked to see crew throwing dozens of large plastic bags filled with garbage overboard. I suspect that happens more often than we think.
As if the plastic were not already bad enough … let us hope that in this case the content of the bags was not poisonous for marine life.
So sad…
Yes, lessons should be learnt from the tragic death of this young animal.
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