Killer balloons for seabirds. Birds that ingest fragments are 32 times more likely to die than their peers, according to a new Australian study
Killer balloons for seabirds. Birds that ingest fragments are 32 times more likely to die than their peers, according to a new Australian study.
Often confused with food, especially squid which some birds are fond of, balloons are very dangerous for their health. Researchers at the University of Tasmania studied the intestinal contents of dead seabirds and found that balloon debris was the deadliest plastic the birds could swallow.
The waters off southeastern Australia and southwestern New Zealand, where the border of the Tasman Sea meets the Southern Ocean, have the largest variety of seabirds in the world. Because of this rich diversity, researchers argue that this is where the worst consequences of marine plastic pollution can be felt.
Researcher Lauren Roman, of CSIRO and the University of Tasmania, has explained:
“I removed a balloon [from a bird] that said 'happy birthday'. We found a balloon that actually had a brand name and was linked to an event in Sunnybank [in Brisbane] Most likely it was one of many lost by the children ”.
The researchers examined more than 1.700 birds of the Procellariform order, which include petrels, shearwaters and albatrosses.
They then compared the birds killed by the plastic with those that died from other causes such as fishing, infant mortality and disease.
In total, 551 of the dead birds had plastic in their stomachs and 13 had died from this ingestion. Of the 32 birds found with balloon fragments in their stomachs, it was the cause of death in 5 cases.
Predictably, among those who had died from eating plastic, animals that swallowed balloon fragments were 32 times more likely to die than birds that ate only hard plastic.
Balloons can resemble squid, emanate scent and this makes them attractive to the eyes of birds. The reason balloons and other soft plastics are so deadly, according to the researchers, is that they are able to adhere to stomach cavities and clog them.
According to scientists, balloons are made from a polymer that persists in the environment for a long time. Replacing plastic polymers with biodegradable alternatives could be an option to prevent seabird death.
"A hard piece of plastic has to be the wrong shape and size to block a region in the bird's gut, while soft rubber objects can bend and get stuck," said Dr Roman.
Let's think twice before buying balloons for our children.
The study was published in Scientific Reports.
READ also:
- Killer plastic: ocean litter kills over 90% of seabirds (VIDEO)
- The terrifying images of plastic balloons that are killing animals (and polluting the oceans)
- The terrifying pictures of plastic ring pollution in beer cans (and how to fix it)
Francesca Mancuso
Photo: Lauren Roman via ABC.au
