Another Dead Whale Washes Ashore Thanks to Mankind's Obsession with Plastic
Another dead whale has washed ashore, and the sight is hard to shake. A massive sperm whale, one of the ocean's most powerful animals, ended up on land because of a problem humans keep making worse: plastic waste.
The scale of the damage is easy to ignore until a creature this large turns up dead on a beach. This story follows that grim reminder, along with the images and data that show how far the plastic problem has spread.
And the next part only makes it harder to look away.
Meanwhile, it is hard not to think about the massive 40-ton humpback whale that launched completely out of the ocean.
Sperm whales are an endangered species protected in the U.S. under the Endangered Species Conservation Act, making his death that much more tragic.
On a slightly positive note, however:
In response to the whale's death, the Murcia government launched a campaign against dumping plastic waste into the coastal town's waters! The entire coastal community is working to raise awareness about both the continuing (and growing) damage caused by plastic waste as well as the genuine need for beach-cleaning volunteers.
In the chart above:
- Green indicates plastic bags are banned
- Yellow indicates a tax on some plastic bags
- Orange indicates a voluntary tax agreement
- Purple indicates a partial tax or ban at a regional level
And if you thought that was bad, watch the SeaWorld whale defecate on a crowd for a “crappy” souvenir.
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