Emaciated Sperm Whale Washes Ashore With 330 Pounds of Fishing Gear in Stomach

An emaciated sperm whale washed up on a beach in Canada with a whopping 330 pounds of fishing gear in his stomach.

Source: Marine Animal Response Society/YouTube

The whale was alive when he washed up on Cape Breton Island on November 9 and teams rushed to try to save the whale. Teams from the Marine Animal Response Society (MARS), the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative-Atlantic Veterinary College, and the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables all arrived on the scene to find an extremely underweight whale in bad condition. Unfortunately, the whale died during the night.

A necropsy of the whale found that there were 330 pounds of fishing gear in the whale’s stomach when he died. They believe that the fishing gear led to the whale’s death as he was unable to eat and died from starvation.

Plastic waste is killing whales all around the globe at an alarming rate. A Cuvier-beaked whale washed ashore in the Philippines with over 40 kilos of plastic in its stomach. A pilot whale died in southern Thailand as a result of eating more than 80 plastic bags. The body of a dead sperm whale washed up on the southern coast of Spain was found to have 64 pounds of plastic bags, a jerrycan, and several pieces of rope and net. Studies show a majority of whales found dead in the Mediterranean were killed by our plastic trash. Sea Shepherd created an eye-opening campaign to draw attention to how plastic pollution impacts whales and dolphins.

Plastic is also found in various other animals as well, like deer and cows. There are products you may be using or habits you may have that contribute to plastic Pollution. Learn more about how the use of Teabags, Cotton Swabs, Laundry, Contact Lenses, Glitter, and Sheet Masks pollute our oceans so you can make more informed decisions going forward. There are also numerous simple actions and switches that can help cut plastic out of our lives, including making your own cosmetics, shampoo, toothpaste, soap, and household cleaners, using mason jars, reusable bags/bottles/straws, and avoiding microbeads! 

Sign this petition to demand the end of the single-use plastics killing whales and damaging our oceans!

Related Content:

• Orca Who Died After Becoming Stranded Found to Have Nothing but Plastic in Stomach
• Another Cow Found with 71 Kilos of Plastic Waste in Stomach
• Another Dead Whale Washed Ashore Found to Have 33 Pounds of Plastic in Stomach
• Whale Found Dead Had 40 Kilos of Plastic Bags In Stomach!
• Cow Who Had 176 Pounds of Plastic Removed From Her Stomach Shows the Impact of Our Trash

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