Blacktip reef shark with plastic cup over its head discovered lifeless on Palawan Seaside – Mothership.SG

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One individual engaged on Sentosa just lately got here throughout a sobering reminder of the consequences of plastic air pollution whereas strolling alongside its shores.

Tammy Lim, the deputy supervisor of the Environmental Administration Staff at Sentosa Growth Company, shared a number of pictures on Fb of the carcass of a small shark that their Seaside Operations staff discovered throughout their every day security patrol of Palawan Seaside.

Lim went down to gather the specimen after being alerted to the discover, and it was recognized to be a Blacktip reef shark.

Chatting with Mothership, she suspects that the younger shark might need washed in throughout the receding tide and was stranded on the sand, finally dying there.

Blacktip reef shark with plastic cup over its head discovered lifeless on Palawan Seaside – Mothership.SG Photograph courtesy of Tammy Lim

Caught in a cup

One noticeable and irregular function concerning the shark although is the clear plastic cup over its head.

The shark’s head was lodged by means of a gap along with the cup, with the tip of its snout poking out by means of one other gap.

Photograph courtesy of Tammy Lim

Photograph courtesy of Tammy Lim

After Lim eliminated the plastic cup, the shark sported indentations on its neck and snout, which meant its head should have been trapped within the object for fairly a while.

Though it’s unsure if the plastic waste was the reason for dying, the cup would have affected the shark’s skill to outlive and hunt for meals, and it’s attainable it could have died from starvation even when it had not washed ashore.

Photograph courtesy of Tammy Lim

Photograph courtesy of Tammy Lim

Marine air pollution

Lim shared that the shark’s carcass was handed over to the Lee Kong Chian Pure Historical past Museum (LKCNHM) the place will probably be used for analysis and training functions.

The sight of it trapped within the plastic “shocked and saddened” her.

“This was a stark reminder that we could not see the influence of what we depart behind on our shores and the way it impacts our marine life,” she added.

Marine air pollution of plastic and different kinds of waste have claimed the lives of different creatures within the sea.

Though Singapore shores aren’t any stranger to littering, a few of the trash washed up may originate from neighbouring international locations, offshore platforms reminiscent of fish farms, or passing ships.

Extra about blacktip reef sharks

Blacktip reef sharks are native to Singapore and sometimes feed on small fishes, molluscs and crustaceans in shallow waters.

These sharks can develop as much as 1.6m in size.

This species is classed as Susceptible by the Worldwide Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Its inhabitants has been declining because of fishing and habitat lack of coral reefs.

As Sentosa’s lagoons are a part of the character atmosphere, Lim inspired beach-goers to be conscious of the wildlife there.

Members of the general public who spot any wildlife in misery on Sentosa can name the Sentosa Ranger hotline at 1800-RANGERS (726 4377) for help.

High picture courtesy of Tammy Lim

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