- WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
- Graphic footage has emerged showing seabird’s stomach being cut open
- The open stomach is cut open to reveal more than 200 pieces of plastic
- The researcher said the plastic was ‘no doubt’ the cause of the bird’s death
- ‘The stomach is very full, completely full of plastic all the way up,’ she said
- Plastic is to blame for the death of about 100,000 marine mammals each year
Graphic footage has emerged showing seabird’s stomach being cut open to reveal more than 200 pieces of plastic inside.
The disturbing footage was filmed by the United Nations to highlight the devastating impact discarded plastic has on the world’s sea life.
Tasmania researcher Dr Jennifer Lavers is seen cutting open the stomach of a 90-day-old chick that died as a result of the plastic it ingested.
Graphic footage has emerged showing seabird’s stomach being cut open to reveal more than 200 pieces of plastic inside
Dr Lavers revealed the stomach was filled with an alarming 276 pieces of plastic and was ‘absolutely no doubt’ the cause of the young bird’s death.
‘The stomach is very, very full … and absolutely rigid. Completely, completely full of plastic all the way up,’ Dr Lavers said.
‘It’s literally a gut full of plastic. It’s quite alarming isn’t it.’
She said the plastic counted for 15 per cent of the bird’s total body weight.
She revealed the stomach was filled with an alarming 276 pieces of plastic and was ‘absolutely no doubt’ the cause of the young bird’s death
Dr Lavers said: ‘It’s literally a gut full of plastic. It’s quite alarming isn’t it’
‘That would be equivalent to you or I having around six or eight kilos of plastic inside your stomach. That’s equivalent to about 12 pizzas worth of food in your stomach,’ she said.
With the video, the United Nations, together with the Plastic Oceans Foundation, aimed to highlight the devastating scourge of plastic.
The United Nations said there was nearly 13 million tonnes of plastic waste in Australia’s oceans, and was to blame for the deaths of a million seabirds each year, and more than 100,000 marine mammals.
The United Nations said there was nearly 13 million tonnes of plastic waste in Australia’s oceans, and was to blame for the deaths of a million seabirds each year (stock)
The United Nations said there was nearly 13 million tonnes of plastic waste and was to blame for the deaths of more than 100,000 marine mammals (stock)