Photos of a dolphin’s carcass along a beach in Penang, Malaysia, has quickly sparked an uproar online.
The poor dolphin is believed to have consumed rubbish that inadvertently led to its death; its carcass was reportedly filled with trash.
The incident came to light when Facebook page Penang Kini, on Sunday, uploaded several photos of the dead dolphin on social media:
Of course, it didn’t take long before enraged Netizens came out with pitchforks.
“Sedihnya. Mungkin spesies dolfin ini mati sebab termakan plastik yg disangkakan makanan yang terapung atas permukaan (It’s sad. Maybe this dolphin died because it ate plastic floating on the surface, which it thought was food),” a Facebook user commented on the post.
“Masyarakat kena berubah. Suka sangat buang sampah merata-rata. Sadis (Society needs to change. Like to litter everywhere. Sadists),” another Facebook user commented.
The post has since gone viral, having been shared more than 730 times.
Meanwhile, Universiti Sains Malaysia’s marine biologist Associate Professor Dr Aileen Tan told The Star Online that sea creatures such as dolphins and turtles would often choke on rubbish, thinking that they were food, as pollution was more severe today that it was four years ago.
“The stretch along Pantai Acheh is probably the dirtiest due to the presence of old fishing nets, plastic items and other types of rubbish,” she was quoted as saying.
