What a WASTE! A fishing net, part of a car engine and plastic buckets are found in the stomachs of 13 sperm whales which washed up on a German beach

The 13 sperm whales washed up near the German town of Toenning
Experts believe the young adult male whales were starving when they died
It is believed winter storms prevented the whales from feeding properly
Tests found the animals died of cardiac arrest and circulatory failure

By DARREN BOYLE FOR MAILONLINE-25 March 2016

German experts who ordered post-mortems on 13 dead whales say that the animal's stomachs and intestines were full of plastic.

The 13 dead bodies were washed up on the beach near the German town of Toenning in Schleswig-Holstein. 

According to the post-mortem they had died of cardiac and circulatory failure.

Environmentalists hold up some of the rubbish found in the stomachs of 13 dead sperm whales who washed up on a German beach following some violent winter storms which prevented them from finding calamari 

Environmentalists ordered a post mortem on the 13 whales who were found on the German North Sea coast
According to experts, the animals were starving when they died although the plastic did not cause their death

In total 30 sperm whales have turned up dead on the German North Sea coast since the beginning of the year including the 13 bodies found in Schleswig-Holstein.

Ursula Siebert from the Hanover Veterinary College said that they did not believe the large amount of rubbish found inside the intestines of the sperm whales had been the reason that they died.

She said that instead it was believed that violent storms in the north-eastern Atlantic had shifted water and along with that the calamari which is one of the main foods of the sperm well into the North Sea.

She said it was believed that the sperm whales had followed food, and had got into ever shallower water before finally ending up stranded.

She said that all of the animals were young males, aged between 10 and 15 and weighing between 12 and 18 tonnes. She said that they appeared to have no problems with their internal organs and a normal number of parasites.

The animals however were also apparently starving, and had probably last eaten when they were in Norwegian waters according to the investigation.

A 15 ton sperm whale would need to eat around 450 kg of food to sustain itself but in their stomachs there was no evidence that they had eaten anything recently other than plastic.

The rubbish removed included a fisherman's net that was 13 m long and 1.2 m wide, as well as a 70 cm long plastic cover from the engine compartment of a car, and the sharp edge remains of a plastic bucket.

Schleswig-Holstein environment Minister Robert Habeck said: 'These findings show us the results of our plastic orientated society. Animals inadvertently consume plastic and plastic waste which causes them to suffer and at worst, causes them to starve with full stomachs.' 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3509625/What-WASTE-fishing-net-car-engine-plastic-buckets-stomachs-13-sperm-whales-washed-German-beach.html#ixzz44QYQKnkx