PLASTIC BAGS CAUSE DEATH OF WHALE FROM ZUPA BAY

ZAGREB, April 14 (Hina) - The whale which was found dead in Zupa Bay near Dubrovnik on Thursday died of starvation caused by plastic bags it had swallowed, experts at the Zagreb Faculty of Veterinary Medicine said after an autopsy. #L# The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Zoning says in a statement a group of experts, headed by Professor Hrvoje Gomercic, have found four plastic bags which clogged the passage between two parts of the whale's stomach which is why the animal could not take food. The Ministry warns that those recklessly throw away garbage should think about their behaviour because "maybe the bag they threw away was the one that caused the death of this unique animal." The animal, according to some reports a northern bottleneck whale, was seen floating dead two days ago. The animal had entered Zupa Bay about a month and a half ago and it became a real attraction in the meantime. A DNA analysis will help establish the species of the animal, the Ministry says in the statement adding it is currently known that the animal is a less than a year old 4.30 metre-long cow whale, weighing 610 kilograms. (hina) rml