Featured Image Credit: Bonnie Monteleone
By Alice Morris
An Indo Pacific bottlenose dolphin was lucky to escape death after becoming entangled in a plastic bag off the coast of Kenya.
Researchers from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and Watamu Marine Association (WMA) were completing their routine inspection of the waters off Watamu, a small town on Kenya’s coast, when they saw the distressed dolphin struggling to free itself from the plastic bag.
The plastic was wrapped around the dolphin’s head and blowhole, threatening to suffocate it. The researchers were able to remove half of the bag from the animal’s head, but it was only after ten minutes of struggling that the dolphin was able to fully disentangle itself.
Mike Wmang’ombe, a WMA researcher who witnessed the distressing scene says these stories serve as lessons to us all to be more aware of how we dispose of plastic.
“Seeing the dolphin trying to survive with a plastic bag on its head made me think how we need to be a voice for marine creatures and how important it is to become an ambassador for those animals suffering that cannot speak,” said Wmang’ombe.
Marine debris kills over 100,000 marine animals every year and it also harms the world’s beaches and coral reefs.
According to Lynn Njeri, a KWS research assistant, “It’s very difficult to control plastic bags finding their way to the sea and even terrestrial parks since they are usually blown by wind, posing danger, but a lot needs to be done to save our marine parks.”
Though ocean pollution is an immense problem to tackle, Njeri says there are small steps the public can take to make a difference. For example, using eco-friendly reusable bags instead of plastic ones reduces the amount of harmful plastics that will end up in the ocean.
The KWA, WMA, and local hotels have also launched something called the Trash to Cash Initiative, which aims to collect beach trash during local, national, and international beach cleanups. These events are organized with the help of the Ocean Conservancy, a non-profit environmental group, and Ocean Sole, a Kenyan recycling company that turns plastic junk into art and clothing.
The African Fund for Endangered Wildlife helped the WMA construct a recycling center called “Eco-World Watamu” where much of that collected trash is transformed into art installations and crafts that attract tourists.
These efforts have gone a long way to improve the trash situation in Watamu, but conservationists insist that better disposal structures and improved waste management policies are needed to protect marine wildlife.
Marine debris is a worldwide problem and you can learn more about the issue and find ways to help at oceanservice.noaa.gov.