Sperm whale dies after swallowing 29kg of plastic

In a heartbreaking illustration of the dangers of plastic in our oceans, a young male sperm whale was found washed up in Spain with 29 kg of plastic debris in its stomach.

The whale is believed to have died from ‘gastric shock’, an autopsy revealed – and debris including nets, plastic bags and a jerry can were found in its stomach.

Experts at the El Valle Wildlife Rescue Centre in Spain say that the 10 metre-long animal died from an inflammation of the inner walls of the abdomen, probably the result of the huge amounts of plastic in its body.

Whales are dying in increasing numbers from ingesting plastic, IFLScience reports.

In 2016, a pod of 13 sperm whales washed up with plastic rubbish inside them, including one with a 70cm-long sheet of plastic from a car.

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The government of Murcia, the region where the whale washed up, has now launched a campaign against dumping plastic rubbish in the sea.

"Many animals get trapped in the rubbish or ingest great quantities of plastic which end up causing their death," said Consuelo Rosauro, the director-general for environment in Murcia's government.

Ms Rosauro added that plastic waste in the ocean had become one of the biggest threats to marine life around the the world in the last decade.