On February 27, a sperm whale was found dead on a beach in Cabo de Palos, Spain. Authorities revealed on April 4 that the animal had 64 pounds of plastic in his stomach, discovered during an autopsy. The Murcie government, where the sperm whale was found, said:
There were plastic bags, sacks of Raffia, mangled rope, glass, and even a drum. Experts believe that these materials caused the animal's death, giving it peritonitis, an inflammation of the stomach.
Source: CARM
The cetacean, incapable of digesting such a large amount of rubbish, died.The incident prompted an awareness campaign and a drive to reduce the amount of plastic in the ocean. This campaign will be run in parallel with the European Environmental Association.
Source: CARM
Each year, the plastic pollution in oceans continues to grow, while more and more plastic objects are produced in the world, of up to 320 million tons per year.
Source: CARM
Faced with such an urgent situation, the non-profit organisation decided to launch an awareness campaign at the end of March 2018. With the help of powerful pictures, the charity denounces the "suffocation of the oceans", by drawing attention to the main victims of this pollution, animals. Alex Cornelissen, CEO of Sea Shepherd Global, says:
As an invasive species, [plastic] is destroying the ocean fauna and seizing its habitat. Human beings are to blame for the introduction of this deadly substance.
Source: Sea Shepherd
H/t: Daily Mail
