Dead whale in Thailand had 17 pounds of plastic in its stomach

A whale with 17 pounds of plastic in its stomach has died in Thailand after veterinarians and volunteers worked for five days to save it.

The male pilot whale was found Monday on a beach in southern Thailand, and died after spitting out five plastic bags on Friday, Thailand’s Marine and Coastal Resources Department said, according to Reuters.

The whale was found to have an additional 80 items in its stomach, including bags and other pieces of plastic trash, weighing more than 17 pounds, Reuters reported.

{mosads}Marine officials said that the plastic made the whale sick and prevented it from finding food.

The whale’s death comes as dozens of cities and companies worldwide are moving to crack down on plastic pollution by banning the use of nonreusable plastic containers, bags and drinking straws.

Jatuporn Buruspat, the head of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department, told Reuters that the agency will use the whale’s case to call for action on ocean pollution during World Oceans Day later this month.

“We will use the whale case and invite all sectors to show their intentions on how to reduce the use of plastic in Thailand,” he said.