A whale that was put down after repeatedly becoming stranded was found to have more than 30 plastic bags blocking its digestive system.
The Cuvier’s beaked whale was discovered at the weekend in shallow waters off the island of Sotra, near Bergen in Norway. A post-mortem examination revealed a large amount of plastic waste in its intestines, including items with labels in English.
The 20ft whale was shot after several failed attempts to direct it out to sea.
Terje Lislevand, a zoologist at the University of Bergen, told the Bergens Tidende newspaper that the whale was emaciated, suggesting that it had been unable to feed for some time.
He said that the effect of the plastic waste on the whale, which would have been in