Dead Whale Found in Indonesia with 6 Kilograms of Plastic Waste in Stomach

In Indonesia, a sperm whale is found dead in a national park with nearly six kilograms of plastic waste, including 115 plastic cups in its stomach. The 9.5 meter or 31.17 ft. whale was found in waters near Kapota Island, which is a part of the Wakatobi National Park in the southeast of Sulawesi in Indonesia. The national park is popular among the divers and adventure lovers for its large area of reefs and diverse marine life, which includes whales and rays.

The actual cause of death of the whale is not known but vets and park officials have found plastic bottles, cups, sandals, bags and a sack of more than 1000 pieces of string in the stomach of the whale. Wakatobi Park has planned to bury the whale carcass at the high tide and the remains including the plastic wastes would be used for the study purposes by the local marine academy.

According to marine species conservation coordinator at WWF-Indonesia, Dwi Suprapti, “Although we have not been able to deduce the cause of death, the facts that we see are truly awful”. In June this year, a pilot whale is found dead in Thailand with 80 pieces of plastic rubbish in its stomach, the news has drawn the attention of the world. The discovery of plastic waste killing and disturbing ecology has come at a time when the whole world is concerned about the impact of plastic pollution on marine life.

According to a report by Ocean Conservancy and the McKinsey Center for Business and Environment, five Asian nations that include China, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand account for up to 60 percent of plastic waste across the world, which are leaked into oceans. Indonesia, stand second next to China, in the 2015 study of the mismanagement in dealing with the plastic waste near the coastal areas in 192 countries.

The report also estimated that $1 billion a year has to be spent to reduce marine plastic debris by 70 percent by 2025. The report also claimed that a 65% reduction in plastic waste leakage in these five countries would help in the reduction of 45% of plastic waste globally.

If the current situation is not handled properly, the amount of plastic pollution on the ocean will be triple within a decade, according to a recent study by the UK government. Thus taking note of the threat, the European Parliament has voted for the ban of single-use plastic as early as possible. The proposal covers items like plastic straws, cotton swabs and cutlery also the European Union countries are said to recycle 90% of plastic bottles by 2025.