The whales’ deaths are symbolic of humanity’s shocking
disregard for marine life.
Sperm whales were found stranded on shores around the North
Sea, an area that is too shallow for the marine wildlife. Only recently were
details of the animals’ necropsy released. However, scientists were deeply
disturbed by what they found in the animals’ stomachs.
According to a press release from Wadden Sea National Park
in Schleswig-Holstein, many of the whales had stomachs FULL of plastic debris,
including a 13-meter-long fishing net, a 70 cm piece of plastic from a car and
other pieces of plastic litter.
Some suggest that the animals thought the items were food,
such as squid, which is their main staple. Others, however, believe that the
travesty is largely a result of humanity’s shocking disregard for marine life,
which has resulted in an overabundance of plastic in the oceans.
Said Robert Habeck, environment minister for the state of
Schleswig-Holstein:
“These findings show us the results of our plastic-oriented
society. Animals inadvertently consume plastic and plastic waste, which causes
them to suffer, and at worst, causes them to starve with full stomachs.”
Nicola Hodgkins of Whale and Dolphin Conservation echoed
that statement. She stated:
“Although the large pieces will cause obvious problems and
block the gut, we shouldn’t dismiss the smaller bits that could cause a more
chronic problem for all species of cetacean – not just those who suction feed.”
This isn’t the first time a sperm whale has been found dead
with innards full of inedible contents. In 2011, a young whale was found
floating dead off the Greek island of Mykonos. Its stomach was so distended,
biologists thought the animal swallowed a giant squid. However, when its four
stomachs were dissected, nearly 100 plastic bags and other pieces of debris
were found.
It should be noted that the plastic is not what killed the
young male sperm whales. According to National Geographic, they died of heart
failure. This was a result of mistakenly swimming into the North Sea, likely in
search of squid, and then not being able to support their own body weights in
the shallow water. As a result, their internal organs collapsed.
Regardless, the fact that many of their stomachs were full
of pollution is a horrible indictment of humans. As has been reported in the
past, 80% of the plastic which is discarded on land ends up in the oceans,
where it is consumed by wildlife or swirls for years in great garbage patches.
The fact that mankind – a species with a smaller brain than a whale – is
responsible for such a travesty is ironic and saddening.
Until humans learn the value of living sustainably while
respecting all life forms, travesties such as this one will continue to take
place.
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source: World Truth Tv