A deer from Thailand has been found dead this week, after the animal allegedly ingested more than 15lbs worth of plastic.
According to a report by BBC News, the animal's corpse was discovered by researchers working at Khun Sathan National Park, in the Nan province in northern Thailand. According to Kriangsak Thanompun, a spokesperson working for the park, the deer had apparently been eating plastic for a "long time" before expiring.
An autopsy was performed on the ten-year-old dead stag, which determined that the creature had died two days previously (on either November 24 or 25) as a direct result of the garbage and human detritus it has swallowed.
When the animal's stomach was cut open, more than seven kilograms of trash was found inside its digestive tract, including men's underwear, plastic bags, instant coffee sachets, instant noodle packaging, towels, and a length of plastic cord.
The photographs of the autopsy were later uploaded to the official Facebook page of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, where the shocking images of the contents of the deer's stomach quickly went viral. The caption for the pictures noted that toxins in food and other infections caused by the trash would also have contributed to the animal's death.
Take a look at this footage of these beautiful animals from 'Deer Park' in Japan:According to Mr. Kriangsak, park officials intend to launch a "three-phase plan" which will employ local volunteers to collect plastics and other trash in the national park area, to protect the wildlife that might be under threat as a result of the pollution.
Sadly, this isn't the first time that a deer has died as a result of ingesting human waste. Vets working at the Nara Deer Welfare Association in Japan recently discovered a dead deer who had eaten four kilograms of plastic waste.