Marine researchers are dismayed by the death of a baby whale that washed up on a North Carolina beach after swallowing a plastic balloon and have warned the public about the less-than-festive reality of birthday balloons.
According to a necropsy conducted at Marine Science and Technology, the young Gervais’s beaked whale starved to death after eating a star-shaped birthday balloon, which “crumpled up” and became lodged in the passageway to its digestive system, “blocking” the path. Center at North Carolina State University, the New York Post reported Thursday.
The 11-foot-long young female whale was found lifeless on a beach in North Carolina on October 30, according to American media.
But it is a preventable death, the center stressed, urging citizens to think twice before buying plastic or aluminum balloons for their celebrations.
He suggests turning to biodegradable paper decorations instead, or at least ensuring they are disposed of properly – deflating the balloon to remove any gases and recycling it – to prevent “them from coming loose and creating an unnecessary and pose a tragic problem. “Danger that leads to starvation and death of wildlife,” he said, according to the NY Post.
It is estimated that about 125 marine mammals wash ashore on North Carolina beaches alone each year, many after interactions with humans that include net entanglements, boat strikes and plastic consumption.