It is not known exactly whether he died from malnutrition or from man-made pollution. What is certain is that Leopoldo, the sperm whale beached in the town of Forio, in Ischia, on Christmas Eve, had traces of plastic bags and nylon threads in his stomach.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
It is not known exactly whether he died from malnutrition or from man-made pollution. What is certain is that Leopoldo, the sperm whale beached in the town of Forio, in Ischia, on Christmas Eve, had traces of plastic bags and nylon threads in his stomach.
It took several days to remove the 8 meter long sperm whale, renamed by the Coast Guard and the inhabitants as Leopoldo.
The dynamics of his death are not yet clear, especially since the animal was in a state of decomposition when it ended up on the beach.
Plastic and nylon were found in his stomach, probably mistaken for food by Leopoldo. An amount that, according to experts, did not lead to his death, but certainly played an important role in his health.
Leopoldo was in a state of malnutrition and the stranding may have been caused by natural and non-anthropogenic factors. Doubts remain, such as why the sperm whale was unable to feed itself sufficiently? Perhaps due to massive fishing and the scarcity of fish?
According to the researchers, Leopoldo would have exchanged the plastic bags for squid, as had happened to other giants of the sea.
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- Death of a whale. 30 plastic bags in the stomach (PHOTO)
Dominella Trunfio
Photo: The Daily Odd