A dead whale that washed ashore in Indonesia has been found to have nearly 6 kilograms of plastic waste in its stomach. The 9.5-metre whale was located in waters near Kapota Island, southeast of Sulawesi. It's the latest reminder of the dangerous levels of plastic pollution in the oceans
In the waters off one of Indonesia's islands, the rotting carcass of a sperm whale was found floating near the shores of Kapota Island.
It's what was inside its stomach that's most disturbing: 25 plastic bags, 115 disposable cups, 4 plastic bottles, 2 pairs of thongs and a nylon sack containing more than 1,000 pieces of string were recovered from its stomach.
Together the waste weighed 6 kilograms.
Scientists say the whale's advanced state of decay makes it difficult to determine whether the plastic mass had caused the mammal’s death, but they say no doubt it was a contributing factor.
In June, a pilot whale died in southern Thailand after swallowing more than 80 plastic bags.
Darren Grover, the Head of Living Ecosystems at WWF Australia, says finding plastic inside marine life has become worryingly common.
Indonesia is the world's second-largest plastic polluter behind China.
Mr Grover says there's growing concern among environmentalists that countries need to act.
