Sperm Whale Found Dead With 13 Pounds Of Plastic In Its Stomach

A dead sperm whale washed ashore in Eastern Indonesia recently having consumed a horrible amount of plastic: 115 drinking cups, 25 plastic bags, plastic bottles ,two flip-flops and a bag containing 1000 pieces of string.

The whale was found in the shallow waters off Kapota island in the Wakatobi National Park, and Dwi Suprati, a marine conservation coordinator at World Wildlife Fund Indonesia, acknowledged that “Although we have not been able to deduce the cause of death, the facts that we see are truly awful.”

Sperm whales normally feed on giant squid, supplementing their diet with octopus, fish, shrimp, crab and small sharks. They are found throughout all the world’s oceans and are confirmed as being endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Indonesia’s minister of maritime affairs, told the Associated Press that the discovery of the whale should help raise awareness about the plastic waste and the need to reduce its use. The government has urged shops to stop providing plastic bags to customers, and has begun an education program in schools to educate children about problems with plastic.

It is possible that there are some more species that have the same problem but as humanity

grows we are finding new ways to take care of our planet and the animals in it.

Olympia B, Year 7

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