No evidence baby whale featured in heartbreaking Blue Planet II clip died from plastic poisoning, expert admits

A baby whale thought to have been poisoned by plastic during the filming of Blue Planet II may have died from natural causes, an expert has said.

Viewers of the popular BBC programme were left devastated after a clip of a pilot whale carrying her dead newborn calf was broadcast on Sunday.

Wildlife stalwart David Attenborough said it was likely the calf had been killed by drinking milk contaminated with plastic that its mother had ingested.

The show aimed to highlight the dangers of pollution in the ocean.

But a scientist who advised producers on the BBC series said there was no evidence the newborn was poisoned, The Times reported.

The most recent episode, which documented a female pilot whale clutching her dead calf, led to accusations that the BBC had not made it clear there was no proof the calf was poisoned.

Sir David appeared to tell the audience it was possible that plastic had contributed to the contamination of the mother's milk.

He said: "Unless the flow of plastics and industrial pollution into the oceans is reduced, marine life will be poisoned by them for many centuries to come."

However, the BBC admitted on Tuesday that it was not aware how the calf had died.

And Dr Paul Jepson, who advised the Blue Planet II team, told The Times that no samples were taken from the dead calf during filming.

Dr Jepson, European Veterinary Specialist in Wildlife Population Health at the Zoological Society of London, said it could have died from a natural cause or chemical pollutants could have been a factor, it was reported.

A BBC spokesperson told the Daily Mail: "The pilot whale sequence does not state 'plastics killed the baby whale', rather it says chemical contamination is the most likely cause. But that micro-plastics may have played a role.

"The Blue Planet II team was advised by the scientific community across the series, including a number of world experts on chemical and plastic pollution.

"The facts presented in their research indicate the dead calf could have been poisoned from its mother’s milk due to chemical pollution, and new research shows that plastics could be part of the problem.

"It’s well documented that industrial pollutants accumulate on micro-plastics and that micro-plastics are consumed by a wide variety of sea creatures."

The camera team were unable to perform an autopsy on the calf, the spokesperson reportedly added.