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One person working on Sentosa recently came across a sobering reminder of the effects of plastic pollution while walking along its shores.

Tammy Lim, the deputy manager of the Environmental Management Team at Sentosa Development Corporation, shared several photos on Facebook of the carcass of a small shark that their Beach Operations team found during their daily safety patrol of Palawan Beach.

Lim went down to collect the specimen after being alerted to the find, and it was identified to be a Blacktip reef shark.

Speaking to Mothership, she suspects that the young shark might have washed in during the receding tide and was stranded on the sand, eventually dying there.

Stuck in a cup

One noticeable and abnormal feature about the shark though is the transparent plastic cup over its head.

The shark's head was lodged through a hole at the side of the cup, with the tip of its snout poking out through another hole.

After Lim removed the plastic cup, the shark sported indentations on its neck and snout, which meant its head must have been trapped in the object for quite some time.

Although it is uncertain if the plastic waste was the cause of death, the cup would have affected the shark's ability to survive and hunt for food, and it is possible it would have died from hunger even if it had not washed ashore.

Marine pollution

Lim shared that the shark's carcass was handed over to the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) where it will be used for research and education purposes.

The sight of it trapped in the plastic "shocked and saddened" her.

"This was a stark reminder that we may not see the impact of what we leave behind on our shores and how it affects our marine life," she added.

Marine pollution of plastic and other types of waste have claimed the lives of other creatures in the sea.

Although Singapore shores are no stranger to littering, some of the trash washed up might originate from neighbouring countries, offshore platforms such as fish farms, or passing ships.

More about blacktip reef sharks

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

These sharks can grow up to 1.6m in length.

This species is classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Its population has been declining due to fishing and habitat loss of coral reefs.

As Sentosa's lagoons are part of the nature environment, Lim encouraged beach-goers to be mindful of the flora and fauna there.

Members of the public who spot any wildlife in distress on Sentosa can call the Sentosa Ranger hotline at 1800-RANGERS (726 4377) for support.

Top photo courtesy of Tammy Lim