A young male sperm whale calf found dead on a Welsh beach (UK) had plastic sheeting and ropes in its stomach, a post-mortem examination has discovered. The juvenile was found to be underweight and malnourished when examined by experts from the Zoological Society of London’s cetacean strandings investigation programme. Evidence of potential underlying issues with the brain were also found.
Rob Deaville, project manager for the investigation programme said it is not possible to accurately assess whether the ingestion of debris was a result of the whale’s presence in the abnormal habitat of shallow waters around the UK, or if other underlying issues may have played a role in its ingestion. Further results from a range of tests will hopefully shed light on the unusual case.
