The trend of sperm whale deaths in the Philippines poses a serious threat to their species according to the experts. In fact, the International Union for Conservation of Nature listed the sperm whales under their Red List of Threatened Species as 'vulnerable' and 'at a high risk of extinction in the wild'.

Furthermore, in the United States, sperm whales have the ultimate right to be protected by the law since they are considered endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

And I know that the extinction of sperm whales isn't something you'd want your grandkids to learn about in their history books.

The most recent case of a sperm whale death in the Philippines was recorded last Saturday, May 21 (Manila Time). Two fishermen just spotted the 60-foot (18 metre) carcass on the shore of Davao, Occidental.

According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), it could have been dead when it reached the shore as it had multiple wounds and seemed lifeless.

Carcass found on the shore in the Philippines. Source: DENR Davao Region​

This adds to the first case of a sperm whale washed ashore in the Philippines just for the year 2022 which stunned the residents and fabbled the marine biologists as they weren’t able to ascertain its cause of death despite dissecting the whale’s stomach and collecting tissue samples.

The DENR ordered the whale to be immediately disposed of as its smell is hazardous to the health of people around the carcass. The department also tasked a necropsy, a dissection, and collection of tissue samples, to determine the cause of death of the whale.

The recurrence of the incidents left the residents questioning if there is something killing the whales. Some of them theorise that this could be illegal fishing or water pollution. None of those could legitimise the actual cause of death, seeing as everyone is still waiting for the result of the necropsy as of the time of reporting.

However, there is a history of recorded cases of dead sperm whales found having countless amounts of plastics in their stomach.

Dead whale washed ashore in the Philippines had 40kg of plastic in its mouth and body. Source: AFP​

Regardless of the necropsy result in the recent case in the Philippines, this should be alarming to everyone considering the multiple cases of sperm whales being washed ashore, and some even being found to have eaten plastics— an indication that non-biodegradable wastes have been irresponsibly disposed of despite the implementation of Solid Waste Management Act in the Philippines.

Without a doubt it is all of our shared responsibility to keep the oceans clean given that it serves as habitat for marine species, and keeping all species alive and well means a better balance on the ecosystem which directly affects us human beings!

It’s best to avoid throwing plastics away at random and rather read the label to see whether it can be recycled, or needs to go to landfill, as it is largely the cause of death of whales, according to a study from the World Wildlife Organisation.

How does this article alarm you? Let us know in the comment section below!

Learn five amazing facts about sperm whales by watching the video below:

Video Credit: Facts in Motion​

 

[Pommyoz]

Departments can ask this dumping to stop until they are blue faced. Man is killing everything with their selfishness and greed.