Beached sperm whale in Davao killed by garbage

A sperm whale that washed ashore in Davao del Norte last weekend was found to have died from ingesting human garbage, according to a report on GMA News To Go.

Sperm whales are listed as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). 

The 38.8-foot (11.8-meter) long creature, about the size of a transit bus, was killed by just an armload full of plastic trash that had choked up its digestive system.

The whale was reportedly found by locals last Saturday, December 17. It was subsequently autopsied by Darrel Blatchley of the local D'Bone Collector Museum.

The grueling 28-hour autopsy found plastic trash and fishing nets in the animal's guts.

"(That's) all it takes to kill a whale," Darrell said on his Facebook page.

"Some call them monsters of the deep. The monster is the person who killed it by being lazy and tossing their trash in the ocean," he added.

Blatchley founded the D'Bone Collector museum in 2012 to help raise public awareness of the need for wildlife protection and conservation. — GMA News