The bones of a young sperm whale, washed up at Cape Milazzo in June 2017 will be the focal point of a new "Museum of the Sea" set up in the bastions of Santa Maria nel Castello of the town of Milazzo (Messina, Sicily).
The whale died because its tail became tangled in a net and the sea currents carried its body to the shore where it lay decomposing until local biologist Carmelo Isgr decided to recover the skeleton for the Fauna Museum of the University of Messina. During the two-week long stripping operation, he made the horrifying discovery that the animal's stomach was full of plastic objects and bags and he decided that these should be put on show along with the bones as a stark reminder of the harm that discarded plastic can do to marine creatures.
He gave the whale the name "Siso" after a friend who had been helping him and who was tragically killed in a road accident while the bones were being recovered. Subsequently he launched the Plastico Milazzo Progetto Siso (siso project) online, to appeal for funds so that the new exhibition space can be completed.
Info: www.sisoproject.com
