Dead 35ft long whale may have been killed by plastic bag

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/612095/Plastic-bag-dead-whale-Kent-Foreness-beach-Cliftonville

By Peter Henn
Oct. 14, 2015

BEACHCOMBERS got a shock when they saw a DEAD WHALE washed up on a shore - and it is believed it was killed by a PLASTIC BAG.

The mammal, believed to be a minke whale measuring around 36ft-long (11m), was discovered on the shore at Foreness Point, near Cliftonville, Kent, on Wednesday morning.

And it was littering that is believed to be to blame.

A spokesman from the coastguard said: "It probably died of contamination after eating a plastic bag or something similar.

"Minke whales are plankton feeders and if they see floating debris they automatically think it's a jellyfish.

"The bag usually goes down into its intestines, blocks them up and causes the whale to die from dehydration and unnatural causes."

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Minke whales have an estimated lifespan of up to 50 years, and are found in the tropics to the ice edges of the northern hemisphere.

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