A whale with 15kg of plastic in its stomach was found dead on a beach on the Greek island of Rhodes last Monday. This was revealed by the results of the autopsy, quoted by local media on Wednesday.
The marine mammal is a beaked whale and has a body length of 5.3 meters. Fishing nets, ropes, plastic bags, plastic cups and packaging and many other debris were found in his stomach.
According to Anastasia Comnin, a professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Veterinary School who performed the autopsy, he explained that the large amount of plastic in the whale’s stomach did not allow him to eat properly, so he literally died of starvation and exhaustion.
This type of waste has long-term harmful effects not only on the health of these mammals, but also on all marine life.
Greek Deputy Environment and Energy Minister George Amiras said the problem of plastic waste in the Mediterranean is becoming more serious, so everyone needs to think and change their lifestyle and daily habits. Amiras urges his compatriots not to be indifferent to the Greek seas and the beautiful animal species that inhabit them.
