A wild deer was found dead in Khun Sathan national park, and 7kg of plastic waste were discovered in its stomach.
The office of the national park reported on Monday that park rangers found the adult deer weighing about 200 kilogrammes dead near the office. They believed the deer died at least two days before the body was discovered.
The male deer was 135 centimetres tall, 230cm long and estimated to be more than 10 years old. The deer was found in a poor condition, looks thin with some fur loss and deterioration of its hoofs.
An autopsy discovered “plastic waste in the stomach, which is one of the causes of his death“, said Kriangsak Thanompun, director of the protected region in the Khun Sathan National Park.
They found 7 kg of plastic waste in its rumen (first stomach)including plastic bags, coffee grounds and instant noodle packets, handkerchiefs, underwear, plastic rope and rubber gloves. They believed those plastic waste in rumen was accumulated over the years.
“We need to reduce plastic waste especially single-use plastic,” he said in a statement.
Marine animals like turtles and dugongs have died in its waste-choked waters, and autopsies have found that plastic in the stomach lining contributed to their deaths.
Now the scourge of plastic waste is affecting the animals in Thailand on land too.
In August, a sick baby dugong, Mariam died from a stomach infection caused by swallowing bits of plastic.
The demise of Mariam in August was widely mourned on social media, reviving public debate on Thailand’s urgent need to tackle its plastic addiction.
In an effort to solve the problem, Thai government is collaborating with major retails operators including 7-Eleven and most of convenience stores to stop providing single-use plastic bags beginning January next year.
I think not only Thailand, but all of us need to put an effort to create a “zero-waste society” and learn how to reduce, reuse and recycle the waste. Let’s say NO to plastic bag and save the world together!
Source : NST | Bangkok Post | Bernama