A necropsy recently carried out on a female rough-toothed dolphin calf which stranded on Florida’s Fort Myers Beach revealed her stomach contained pieces of plastic debris. Sadly, while the find is significant it isn’t totally surprising given the about of plastic and other man-made debris in our oceans today.
The dolphin was so emaciated and in such poor health that wildlife officials decided that euthanising her was the best course of action – she had eaten two plastic bags along with a piece of a balloon. Under normal circumstances, the calf should still have been with its mother, but somehow, she was far from her deep-water home.
Photo Credit: Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
