Our environment is going through a major crisis and it is time we start acting upon it. The weather changes are seen tremendously all over the globe. The pollution is increasing day by day and among the water, air and soil we are facing another major hazard of plastic pollution. Plastic has been taking lives of a lot of habitat, marine life to be specific. In another unfortunate incident, a whale in Thailand has been lost to plastic pollution. The mammal from Southern Thailand has swallowed more than 80 plastic bags, a waste that we are responsible for letting in the ocean waters.

Thailand a very popular tourist destination happens to be one among the world's largest consumers of plastic bags. Many marine creatures are losing lives and the whale was the latest victim. It was taken for treatment but it was barely alive then. The veterinary team tried to stabilise its illness but he could not be recovered. The autopsy revealed 80 plastic bags weighing up to eight kilograms in its stomach. The whale vomited out 5 plastic bags when it was being rescued, before his death. A lecturer from Kasetsart University said that almost 300  marine animals including pilot whales, sea turtles and dolphins perish each year in Thai waters after ingesting plastic. Baby Turtle Poops Plastic That it Swallowed in The Ocean, Watch Shocking Video.

In another incident of animals swallowing plastic, 85 kgs of plastic was removed from the stomach of an abandoned bull in Pune, Maharashtra. Despite the government imposing a ban on usage of plastic bags, the implementation is really hard to come by. The bull, Nandi was bloated too much when he was rescued by activists and operated on. The bull could barely stand because of the load on his other body organs. Along with plastic, there were also metal pieces, nails, screws and glass. The bull here was saved but the problem is the ingestion of all this waste which is dumped openly on the roads. Plus activists have also raised a concern that since no one really looks after the cattle well after they become unproductive, such incidents could become more frequent.

There are many other cases which go unreported as the deaths may not be recorded or analysed properly. But plastic is a killer and we need to take stringent steps for tackling it. This year the theme for World Environment Day is 'Beat Plastic Pollution.' It is an attempt to bring together governments, industry, communities and individuals in exploring sustainable alternatives to plastic usage. It is crucial that we own up to the damage we have been directly or indirectly causing to the environment and pledge to beat plastic pollution.

Each and every individual's participation will help in making a change, only a select few working towards a cause which most others ignore will not reap any benefits. We need to beat plastic before it takes away our animal life, eventually entering the food chain and damaging us collectively. This environment day let us pledge we can get rid of the biggest problem to our environment.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 03, 2018 10:24 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).