
What specialists found in the stomach of the young sperm whale shocked the entire world
Earlier this year, a heartbreaking discovery on a beach in Spain left scientists and environmentalists reeling. The body of a young sperm whale washed ashore near Cabo de Palos, Murcia — and the cause of its death stunned everyone.
Inside the whale’s stomach, researchers found over 30 kilograms (66 pounds) of plastic waste, revealing a grim truth about the impact of ocean pollution.
The ten-meter-long whale, which should have been thriving on a diet of squid, octopus, and small marine creatures, had instead consumed a disturbing array of debris: plastic bags, tangled nets, straws, ropes, and even a large plastic drum.
Unable to digest or expel the materials, experts believe the whale succumbed to a gastrointestinal blockage or infection — a slow and tragic end caused entirely by man-made waste.