A tragedy in Thailand is serving as a reminder of the waste littering the world’s oceans.
A short-fin male pilot whale has died in the southern Songkhla province after ingesting more than 17 pounds of plastic bags and packaging.
Veterinarians removed over 80 plastic bags from the whale’s stomach during an autopsy, according to Jatuporn Burutpat, director-general of Thailand’s Department of Marine and Coastal Resources.
Volunteers and veterinarians worked for several days to save the wale.
Burutpat said that on June 1, the whale started to vomit pieces of plastic and that the animal “struggled fiercely” as it tried to purge its body of the plastic.
The Thai government will seek to raise awareness about the massive problem of marine litter for World Ocean Day on June 8, according to Burupat.
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