14 DAY TRIAL // Earlier this year, a young sei whale died in the waters of the Elizabeth River, a tidal estuary at the southern end of Chesapeake Bay in Virginia, US. Following its death, biologists recovered the body and performed a necropsy.
It was thus discovered that the whale's stomach was cut open and that one of is vertebrae was fractured. Experts say that the marine mammals had its digestive tracts badly injured after accidentally swallowing a DVD case.
The fractured vertebrae, on the other hand, is believed to have been the result of the whale's colliding with a ship in the area. The wounds caused by the DVD case and the ship were both fairly severe and ultimately led to the marine mammal's death.
The whale's death was slow and painful
Wildlife researchers with the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center Stranding Response Team believe that the female sei whale swallowed the broken piece of DVD case quite by mistake while feeding close to the water's surface.
They go on to detail that, shortly after entering the marine mammal's digestive tract, the piece of plastic cut open its stomach. As a result, the sei whale started having trouble feeding. It might be that this was the reason why, when first spotted in the Elizabeth River, the animal was quite confused.
When biologists first became aware of the presence of this sei whale in the waters near the southern end of Chesapeake Bay, the marine mammal was still alive. However, just a few days later, it was found dead. Its death likely followed the collision that left it with a broken vertebra.
Still, specialists say that, even if the whale had not been hit, the DVD case that had slashed through its stomach would have eventually killed it. Even so, the piece of plastic can be argued to have contributed to the animal's demise by leaving it in poor health condition.
Plastic pollution is a major threat to marine wildlife
As shown by several investigations carried out over the years, the plastic pollution that now plagues our planet's seas and oceans is a major threat to the wild creatures populating them. Thus, it often happens that wild animals swallow bits and pieces of plastic that ultimately kill them.
Specialists say that, once inside the body of one marine animal or another, the plastic fragments some people too carelessly dispose of can pierce through their organs or obstruct their digestive tract. Either way, the creatures find themselves unable to get proper nourishment, and be it sooner or later, they die.
Commenting on the demise of the sei whale whose body was discovered in Virginia, US, back in last year's August, wildlife expert Susan Barco wished to point out that this incident just goes to show that plastic pollution can be fatal.
“It makes me very sad that a piece of plastic that was not disposed of properly ended up killing a whale,” the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center Stranding Response Team biologist said in a statement, as cited by The Inquisitr.