A pilot whale has died off southern Thailand after swallowing 80 plastic bags, officials say. The whale vomited five bags during a futile attempt by officials to rescue her in a canal in Songla County.
The bags, which weighed about 8 kilograms, prevented the whale from eating properly, a biologist said. "If you have 80 plastic bags in your stomach, you die," explained Tamrongnausavat.
The small, male pilot whale was found in a bad condition and without being able to swim in the Na Tap canal last Monday. Environmentalists used boats to help her stay afloat and erected a canopy to protect her.
They tried to save her for a week, but she finally died on Friday afternoon. A recent report warned that the amount of plastics in the oceans would triple over the next decade if immediate action was not taken to limit them.
In Thailand, the consumption of plastic bags is high, which prompted the government last month to announce that it is considering imposing a tax on their use. Every year in Thailand hundreds of marine animals die because of plastic bags that end up in the sea.