Fishing nets and plastic bags fill the whale's stomach.(Photo/Chinatimes.com)
(ECNS) -- A large amount of fishing nets and plastic bags have been found in the stomach of a dead sperm whale that was stranded off the coast of Chiayi County in Taiwan on October 15, local media reported.
Measuring around 15 meters long and weighing 23 tons, the mammal was found dead three days after rescuers released it back into the open sea.
The carcass has been dissected by an expert team from National Cheng Kung University. Wang Jianping, team director, said the amount of foreign substances could fill an excavator bucket, which has restrained it from eating and drained its strength.
Human pollution of the sea has indirectly resulted in its death, he added.
The waist and rear part of the whale appeared to be injured when it was found stranded.
