Baby Whale Dies After Found with a 'Large Plastic Bag' in Its Stomach

"Many tragedies from plastic in the ocean go unobserved, and the ones we see are just a snapshot," an spokesperson for Oceana said

Oceana/Joseph Pellegrino & St. Johns County Office of Public Affairs

A baby whale has died after being found on a Florida beach with a "large plastic bag" in its stomach.

Last month, an individual stumbled upon the small animal, which they initially believed to be a dolphin calf, while visiting Butler Beach in St. Augustine, the St. Johns County (SJC) Beach Services said in an Instagram post on Tuesday, Oct. 22.

After contacting the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC) Wildlife Alert Hotline to report the found creature, officials later determined it was actually an emaciated dwarf sperm whale.

Staff members and volunteers eventually helped collect the animal off the beach and transported it to "veterinarians for examination." There, with help from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the animal was "humanely euthanized," the SJC Beach Services said.

Per the organization, an animal autopsy later showed that the animal had "a large plastic bag in its main stomach with associated ulcers."

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On Instagram, the SJC Beach Services detailed what beachgoers should do if they ever find a sea creature out of the water.

"If you see a beached marine animal — even a small one, like this whale calf — do NOT push it back in the water; it stranded for a reason, and pushing it back delays humane treatment and care," they said, adding that a stranding can be reported to the FWC hotline at 1-888-404-3922.

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Oceana/Joseph Pellegrino & St. Johns County Office of Public Affairs

In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, a spokesperson for Oceana, a nonprofit that works to protect and restore the world's oceans, reacted to the baby whale being found with plastic in its system when it died.

"Plastic has not only been thrust onto us as a society, but it’s also been pushed onto our oceans and marine wildlife. There’s nothing natural about a plastic bag in a whale calf’s belly," they said. "Plastic production is increasing at a rapid rate, and so too is the amount of plastic going into the oceans."

The spokesperson added, "Many tragedies from plastic in the ocean go unobserved, and the ones we see are just a snapshot. The plastics crisis is deep, wide and pervasive, affecting ecosystems and animals in ways we are only beginning to understand. Our elected leaders must do more to protect marine wildlife from plastic pollution. We need to reduce the production and use of unnecessary single-use plastics for the sake of animals' health, our health and the health of our blue planet.”