A sick baby dugong whose fight for recovery won hearts in Thailand and cast a spotlight on ocean conservation has died from an infection exacerbated by bits of plastic lining her stomach, officials said Saturday.
Mariam washed up in shallow waters off southwestern Thailand months ago and photos of her nuzzling playfully next to rescuers quickly went viral.
But Mariam died just after midnight after going into shock and efforts to resuscitate her failed, Chaiyapruk Werawong, head of Trang province marine park, told AFP.
"She died from a blood infection and pus in her stomach," he said, adding they found small amounts of plastic waste in her intestinal tract.
With 8.8 million tons of plastic waste dumped into the ocean every year, there are few, if any, corners of our oceans free of pollutants. The impact of these pollutants on marine life and ecosystems is tremendous.
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A sick baby dugong whose fight for recovery won hearts in Thailand and cast a spotlight on ocean conservation has died from an infection exacerbated by bits of plastic lining her stomach , officials said Saturday. Mariam washed up in shallow waters off southwestern Thailand months ago and photos of
A sick baby dugong whose fight for recovery won hearts in Thailand and cast a spotlight on ocean conservation has died from an infection exacerbated by bits of plastic lining her stomach , officials said Saturday. Mariam washed up in shallow waters off southwestern Thailand months ago and photos of
Over 50 percent of all plastic waste in the oceans comes from five countries — China, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, according to the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF).
In fact, if 20 of the highest polluting countries in the world halve the amount of mismanaged waste, the flow of plastic into the ocean could go down by almost 40 percent.
In 2006, Greenpeace conducted a survey of the world’s coastlines; they found Indonesia recorded the highest levels of marine debris – 29,100 items per kilometer. In highly populated areas of the country, litter covered 90 percent of the beach.
Land-based activities – improperly managed agricultural run-offs and untreated sewage, for example – accounts for over 80 percent of the plastic pollution in our oceans, according to the Ocean Conservancy. Less than 20 percent of the total is from marine sources – fisheries and ships.
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The live-action animated film starring Bob Hoskins saw Richard Williams win a Bafta as well as two Oscars for his work. © Provided by The Press Association Diana, Princess of Wales meets cartoon star Roger Rabbit and his co-star Bob Hoskins (PA) Williams also animated the title sequences for the 1970s comedy classics The Return Of The Pink Panther and The Pink Panther Strikes Again, and worked on Casino Royale. Williams has previously credited Snow White – which he saw at the age of five – as having a “tremendous impression” on him. “I always wanted, when I was a kid, to get to Disney.
Bangkok (AFP) – A sick baby dugong whose fight for recovery won hearts in Thailand and cast a spotlight on ocean conservation has died from an infection exacerbated by bits of plastic lining her stomach , officials said Saturday. Mariam washed up in shallow waters off southwestern Thailand
Mariam died just after midnight after going into shock and efforts to resuscitate her failed. A sick baby dugong whose fight for recovery won hearts in Thailand and cast a spotlight on ocean conservation has died from an infection exacerbated by bits of plastic lining her stomach , officials said Saturday.
Did you know the Pacific and Atlantic oceans have two major garbage patches each? There is even a southern Indian Ocean patch – halfway between Africa and Australia. These patches are huge zones in oceans where garbage accumulates and floats freely in circular motions.
The largest such garbage patch – the Great Pacific Garbage Patch – consists of 80,000 metric tons of plastic trash. This includes abandoned fishing gear, plastic bottles, ropes, baskets, plastic packaging, etc. This works out to 250 pieces of debris for every person in the world.
In fact, there is 180 times more plastic waste than marine life in this garbage patch. The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) claims marine creatures consume up to 24,000 tons of plastic annually.
Unfortunately, because plastic waste has a low density, it is easily transported across vast distances on the water. The CBD claims not even a single square mile of ocean surface is free from plastic pollutants.
WATCH: How the new sea-bin installed Howth Harbour will tackle plastic waste
WATCH: How the new sea-bin installed Howth Harbour will tackle plastic waste
Bangkok (AFP) – A sick baby dugong whose fight for recovery won hearts in Thailand and cast a spotlight on ocean conservation has died from an infection exacerbated by bits of plastic lining her stomach , officials said Saturday. Mariam washed up in shallow waters off southwestern Thailand
A sick baby dugong whose fight for recovery won hearts in Thailand and cast a spotlight on ocean conservation has died from an infection exacerbated by bits of plastic lining her stomach , officials said Saturday. Mariam washed up in shallow waters off southwestern Thailand months ago and photos of
Large pieces of plastic pollutants are bad enough. But microplastics pose a challenge in cleaning up the world’s oceans. Microplastics are tiny fragments of large plastic pieces – usually smaller than 0.19 inches (five millimeters) – and are often mistaken by marine creatures for food.
Worse still, chemicals present in these plastics can get transferred up the food chain to human beings. The feeding animal absorbs the chemicals through the process of bio-accumulation, and once it becomes prey to a larger predator, the contaminants pass on, going up the food chain.
The fishing industry contributes 10 percent of the overall plastic debris, as per a WWF report. These are usually in the form of nets and other fishing gear. "Ghost nets" is the term used to describe fishing nets that are lost at sea or discarded and continue to strangle and trap marine animals for decades.
According to a 2015 study by researchers at Plymouth University, over 700 marine species have encountered man-made debris like plastic and glass. Of these, 17 percent are on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Iceland has recycled one million plastic bottles in a year since introducing 'reverse vending machines'
Iceland has recycled one million plastic bottles in a year since introducing 'reverse vending machines'
Research shows that fish and other marine creatures do eat plastics, often confusing them for jellyfish. This irritates their digestive system. If the plastic is not excreted out of the animal, it makes them feel “full” and can lead to their starvation.
Seals are curious and are often seen playing with fragments of plastic debris like netting, catching their necks in the webbing. The seals caught in the plastic harness eventually die because of starvation or wounds caused by the webbing. In the 1970s, scientists at the National Marine Mammal Laboratory concluded that plastic entanglement was killing up to 40,000 seals a year.
Plastic consumption by fish has been linked to physiological stress, liver cancer and endocrine dysfunction due to the chemicals and additives present in the ingested (and transferred) plastic. A 2013 study published in Scientific Reports journal indicates that ingesting plastics can also affect fertility in female fish and development of reproductive tissue in male fish.
Whale sharks filter feed — they gulp a large amount of water and then filter it at the entrance of their throat — near the surface of the water, where plastic floats. According to the Marine Megafauna Foundation, whale sharks can ingest approximately 170 plastic pieces per day.
A 2015 University of Queensland study published in the Global Change Biology journal reveals that 52 percent of sea turtles have eaten plastic pollutants. Debris ingestion can cause death in sea turtles through blockage of the intestines or piercing of the intestinal wall or by absorption of the chemicals in plastic.
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According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, seabirds are at a very high risk of ingesting plastic. By 2050, nearly 99 percent of all seabird species like gulls and albatross will have consumed plastic.
The ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies in a 2015 research pointed out that the common corals in the Great Barrier Reef are consuming microplastics since they are present in the seawater.
On June 1, 2018, a male whale pilot died in Thailand after consuming plastic. Autopsy revealed that the creature had about 80 plastic bags weighing up to 18 lbs (8 kg) in its stomach. A sperm whale was found washed ashore dead in February 2018 on the Murcian coast in Spain after ingesting 64 lbs (29 kg) of plastic waste. In the same month, the death of a Cuvier’s beaked whale was reported in Norway after more than 30 plastic bags clogged its stomach. The plastic also led to the malnutrition of the whale.
A 2017 report from Britain’s Government Office for Science estimates that plastic pollution will see a three-fold increase between 2015 to 2025. Since commonly used plastics are durable and non-biodegradable, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) believes that “every bit of plastic ever made still exists.”
An autopsy showed the plastic had caused obstructions in the animal's stomach, leading to inflammation and gas build-up, veterinarian Nantarika Chansue posted on Facebook.
"We could partially treat the respiratory infection but the obstruction of plastic rubbish... could not be cured," she said in the post, calling for her death to serve as a lesson.
"She taught us how to love and then went away as if saying please tell everyone to look after us and conserve her species."
Both the animals were found in southern Thailand, home to about 250 of the sea cows, which are closely related to the manatee and classified as vulnerable.
Jamil, whose name translates to "handsome sea prince", is being cared for separately in Phuket.
A shark called Deep Blue, one of the largest recorded, swims offshore in Hawaii, U.S.
A school of fish swim in a coral reef off the coast of Isla Mujeres, Mexico.
A group of bears stroll in Suomussalmi forest, Finland.
A snowy owl is spotted yawning in Northeastern Wisconsin, U.S.
Two stag deer pause during a rut at Bradgate Park in Newtown Linford, England.
Flamingos laze about on Laguna Hedionda lake in Bolivia.
Two common seals, or harbour seals, rest on a rocky coast in Svalbard, Norway.
A cheetah gazes into the grasslands at the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.
Three giraffes appear to blend into one at the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.
A macaque monkey rests in front of a hot spring at the Jigokudani Yaen-koen wild monkey park in Yamanouchi, Japan.
A gray wolf sleeps on the snow at a wildlife park in northern Norway.
Thousands of fireflies glow in the forest on Shikoku island, Japan.
A black leopard coming out of the dark in Africa.
A darter, or snakebird, basks in the sun at the Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur, India.
A closeup of a Cuban crocodile in Zapata Swamp, Cuba.
A red panda in Singalila National Park, India.
A baby lemur climbs on top of its mother in Bursa, Turkey.
A little sea lion and a starfish swim amid a swarm of sardines in Espiritu Santo, Mexico.
A pair of hyenas run in a wildlife park in Brussels, Belgium.
Two cheetahs mark their territory in the grasslands of Masai Mara in Kenya.
A butterfly flutters above a yacare caiman's head in Pantanal, Brazil.
A great white shark swims near the Neptune Islands in Australia.
A waved albatross couple display courtship behavior on Española Island in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.
A jaguar stands on a tree branch in Pantanal, Brazil.
A flock of razorbills sit above the North Sea at Fowlsheugh Nature Reserve in Kincardineshire, Scotland.
Three penguins fight on a rock in Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.
A painted turtle sits on a mossy rock in a pond in Monroe, New York, U.S.
A snow leopard at the Bronx Zoo in New York City, New York, U.S.
A wild boar in autumn forest during the hunting season.
A grey crowned crane walks in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.
A polar bear with her cubs at the Wapusk National Park in Manitoba, Canada.
A bird is seen silhouetted against the background sky in Africa.
A copperhead snake lies on a sand bank by a stream in Florida, U.S.
A frog chases a damselfly in Indonesia.
A mountain lion jumps over rocks in southwestern U.S.
A yellow-billed oxpecker sits atop a Cape buffalo's head at Ngorongoro Crater area in Tanzania.
A white tiger secures itself firmly on a tree branch in Singapore.
A giant panda bear couple in a bamboo forest in Sichuan Province, China.
A dolphin leaps out of the water in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
A male African lion naps on rocks in a forest.
A portrait of a deer in a forest in Canada.
Male walrus rest on a beach in Svalbard, Norway.
A group of New Forest ponies stand under snow-covered branches in Hampshire, England.
A jellyfish swims off the island of Salamina, Greece.
A wildebeest walks in the savanna at the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.
Two muddy wild pigs touch their heads together in San Diego County, California, U.S.
Three marine iguanas line themselves on a beach on Santa Cruz island in Ecuador.
Two Komodo dragons fight on Komodo Island, Indonesia.
A pair of turtles move towards the water on a beach in Cyprus.
Lion cubs with their mother at the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.
An African elephant in Cabarceno Natural Park in Spain.
A margay rests on the forest floor in Costa Rica.
A banded demoiselle sits on a cluster of flowers.
A Bengal slow loris sits on a branch in Germany.
Two baby mountain goats try out their jumping skill on Mount Evans, Colorado, U.S.
A fennec fox in Everland, South Korea.
Mother cheetah with her cubs at the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.
A squirrel monkey carries a baby on its back in Knysna, South Africa.
A North American Bison in the wild, in Utah, U.S.
A cougar rests amidst the foliage of a jungle in Belize.
A bull moose in Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska, U.S.
A squirrel jumps from a branch in Inverness, Scotland.
A golden-headed lion tamarin sits on a tree in South America.
A warthog in Kruger National Park, South Africa.
An Arctic fox in West Greenland.
A Phyllium insect sits on leaves in Indonesia.
A white rhino at Lake Nakuru in Kenya.
A short-eared owl stands in a snow-covered field in Niergnies, France.
Blue-footed boobies rest on volcanic rocks on Galapagos Islands.
A waxwing feeds on berries in London, England.
A fox looks for food during winter conditions in Van, Turkey.
An osprey catches a fish in Palm Harbor, Florida, U.S.
Clouds of steam ripple out of a red deer's mouth in Sauerland, Germany.
A lilac-breasted roller is perched on a tree in the Okavango Delta in Botswana.
A polar bear navigates through a pack of ice north of Svalbard, Norway.
A pack of Burchell's zebras is pictured alongside an African wild dog in Botswana.
A chestnut-eared aracari sits on a branch of a tree in Pantanal, Brazil.
A pride of six lions known as Gomondwane Males are spotted in Kruger National Park, South Africa.
A tiger relaxes at the Ranthambore National Park in Sawai Madhopur, India.
A llama raises its head above the vegetation in Parque Nacional de Sajama, Bolivia.
Two Siberian tigers trade blows in the woods in Sweden.
A koala bear sleeps in Lone Pine Sanctuary in Brisbane, Australia.
A fallow deer rests in southwest England.
A sub-adult lion cub and his mother play in the rain at the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.
A red fox sniffs the seed pods of a reed in the Bohemian Forest in Czech Republic.
A perinet chameleon camouflages on a green leaf in Anjozorobe rainforest in Madagascar.
Pelicans at a water reservoir in Mishmar HaSharon, Israel.
A yellow-eyed penguin stands on a rock in Curio Bay, New Zealand.
An African wild dog is seen amidst the foliage at Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe.
A cottontail rabbit sits on the grass in Lombardy, Italy.
A coatimundi or white-nosed coati rests on a tree branch in Costa Rica.
A toco toucan searches for fruit on a tree in Pantanal, Brazil.
Two orcas, or killer whales, push through the waves in Avacha Bay off Kamchatka Peninsula on Russia's Pacific coast.
A hawksbill sea turtle swims underwater in the Maldives.
An aerial view of a pair of humpback whales in Avacha Bay off Kamchatka Peninsula on Russia's Pacific coast.
A blue viper snake on a branch in Indonesia.
A starfish sticks to a rock on the island of Giannutri in Italy.
A jumping spider rests on top of a branch in Kota Bharu, Malaysia.
Two baby Borneo orangutans play in Jakarta, Indonesia.
An Indian one-horned rhino crosses a road inside the Kaziranga National Park in Assam, India.
Mariam's death was also announced on the Facebook page of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources.
The post quickly garnered more than 11,000 shares and thousands of comments mourning the loss, while a meme with a picture of Mariam and "RIP" circulated online.
"It's a pity for those who fed her milk and collected sea grass for their little daughter that we have to lose Mariam because of plastic waste," one commenter said.
Katie Stevenson from Telford has to be placed in isolation after the coral in her fish tank released palytoxin, a deadly poison that it uses to defend itself from attackers. 
Berman was also in the band Purple Mountains, a poet and a cartoonist. A cause of death is unknown. 
During a demonstration of an £80,000 torso scanner he was shown a body image showing a Kinder Egg secreted inside a prisoner, which had been later found to contain tobacco. 
The live-action animated film starring Bob Hoskins saw Richard Williams win a Bafta as well as two Oscars for his work. © Provided by The Press Association Diana, Princess of Wales meets cartoon star Roger Rabbit and his co-star Bob Hoskins (PA) Williams also animated the title sequences for the 1970s comedy classics The Return Of The Pink Panther and The Pink Panther Strikes Again, and worked on Casino Royale. Williams has previously credited Snow White – which he saw at the age of five – as having a “tremendous impression” on him. “I always wanted, when I was a kid, to get to Disney. 
WATCH: How the new sea-bin installed Howth Harbour will tackle plastic waste 
Iceland has recycled one million plastic bottles in a year since introducing 'reverse vending machines' 
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