Whale Dies After Swallowing 80 Plastic Bags Off Southern Thailand


Chioma Umeha

A whale has died in southern Thailand after swallowing more than 80 plastic bags, Sky News has reported.
The small male pilot whale was found barely alive in a canal near the border with Malaysia, Thailand’s Department of Marine and Coastal Resources said.
It vomited up five bags while rescuers used buoys to keep it afloat in a rescue attempt, while an umbrella was held to protect it from the blazing sun.
A veterinary team tried “to help stabilise its illness” but the whale later died on Friday afternoon, officials said.
An autopsy revealed 80 plastic bags weighing up to eight kilograms (18 pounds) in the creature’s stomach.
Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a marine biologist and lecturer at Kasetsart University, said the bags had made it impossible for the whale to eat any nutritional food.
“If you have 80 plastic bags in your stomach, you die,” he said.
Mr Thamrongnawasawat added that at least 300 marine animals, including pilot whales, sea turtles and dolphins, perish each year in Thai waters after ingesting plastic.
He said: “It’s a huge problem. We use a lot of plastic.”
The pilot whale’s plight generated sympathy and anger among Thai citizens.

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