[ad_1]
In this undated photo published by the Akademi Komunitas Kelautan dan Perikanan Wakatobi (Academy of Wakatobi Marine and Fisheries Community or AKKP Wakatobi), researchers collect data on the carcass of a whale stranded in Wakatobi National Park, southeast of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The dead whale that failed in eastern Indonesia had a large pile of plastic waste in its stomach, including goblets and flip-flops, said a park official, causing concern environmentalists and government officials in one of the largest plastic polluting countries in the world. . (Muhammad Irpan Sejati Tassakka, AKKP Wakatobi via AP) (Press release)
JAKARTA, Indonesia – A dead whale washed away by the shoreline in eastern Indonesia had in the stomach a large piece of plastic, including goblets, bottles and flip flops, said Tuesday. a park official, concerned ecologists and government officials of one of the largest polluting countries for plastics in the world.
Rescuers in Wakatobi National Park on Monday found the 9.5-meter (31 foot) sperm whale carcass near Southwest Sulawesi Province Park, after learning that villagers were beginning to cut it up. said the head of the park, Heri Santoso.
Santoso said researchers from the WWF Wildlife Protection Group and the Park Conservation Academy had discovered about 5.9 kg of plastic waste in the animal's stomach, containing 115 plastic cups, four plastic bottles, 25 plastic bags, 2 flip flops, a nylon bag and over 1000 other matching plastic pieces.
"Although we have not been able to deduce the cause of death, the facts we are seeing are really frightful," said Dwi Suprapti, coordinator of marine conservation at WWF Indonesia.
She added that it was not possible to determine if the plastic had caused the death of the whale because of the animal's advanced state of decomposition.
Indonesia, an archipelago of 260 million people, is the second-largest plastic polluter in the world after China, according to a study published in the journal Science in January. It produces 3.2 million tonnes of poorly managed plastic waste a year, of which 1.29 million tonnes end up in the ocean, the study said.
Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Indonesian Minister for Maritime Affairs in charge of coordination, said the whale discovery should raise public awareness of the need to reduce the use of plastic and urged the government to take stricter measures to protect the ocean.
"I am so sad to hear that," said Pandjaitan, who recently campaigned for less use of plastic. "It is possible that many other marine animals are also contaminated with plastic waste, which is very dangerous for our lives."
He added that the government was striving to reduce the use of plastic, including urging stores not to provide plastic bags to customers and explaining the problem in schools across the country in order to address the problem. the government goal to reduce the use of plastic by 70% by 2025.
"This great ambition can be achieved if people learn to understand that plastic waste is a common enemy," he told The Associated Press.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, disseminated, rewritten or redistributed.
[ad_2]Source link
