Marine officials in Thailand say about 17 pounds of plastic were removed from the stomach of a dead whale that they tried desperately to save.
A team of veterinarians and volunteers spent about five days trying to treat the sick short-fin pilot whale.
On Friday, the whale started vomiting pieces of plastic. Officials say the animal “struggled fiercely” to purge its body of the litter.
After the whale’s death, veterinarians performed an autopsy and removed more than 80 plastic bags from the whale’s stomach.
According to NBC News, the head of Thailand’s Marine and Coastal Resources Department said the whale probably thought the floating plastic bags were pieces of food.
The department is now using the whale’s tragic death to raise awareness about problems that stem from litter in water.
June 8 marks World Oceans Day, a day to celebrate and honor healthy oceans by preventing plastic pollution.
