Animals and plastic waste go head to head on #NationalWildlifeDay

Animal conservationists and animal lovers alike celebrated #NationalWildlifeDay this past Tuesday in an effort to raise awareness of endangered species around world.

National Wildlife Day was founded in 2005 in memory of famed animal lover and conservationist Steve Irwin. The day is not only a way to raise awareness for protecting endangered animal species, but to draw humans’ attention to how much of our daily lives affects animals. Human waste detrimentally impacts animal habitats across the globe. In the United States alone, over 300 million tons of garbage is discarded every year, much of which is made of plastic.

From mistaking plastic for food to plastic entanglement, there are many ways wild animals can be affected by plastic. When throwing away plastic bags or plastic soda can rings, it’s important for us to think about how this could end up harming an animal.

The war of plastic pollution versus wild animals is surging forward. Scientists are finding more and more cases where an animal has mistakenly come in contact with plastic waste that then affects its well-being. In an effort to get to the bottom of this crisis, let’s break down the worst fights raging between animals and their plastic enemies.

Sea Turtle vs. a Straw

One of the most talked-about battles between animals and plastic pollution are sea turtles against single-use plastic straws. Over 500 million plastic straws are used in the United States in a single day. Many of these straws end up in the ocean, polluting animal habitats. If you’ve been on the Internet in the past year, chances are you’ve come across the alarming video of scientists pulling a plastic straw out of the nose of a sea turtle. The video showcases just how harmful straws are becoming in the environment. The sea turtle loses this battle every time because it doesn’t know the harmful effects of the small plastic straw floating in its environment.

Birds vs. Plastic Soda Can Rings

If you’re a fan of drinking soda out of a can, chances are you’ve thrown away those plastic rings that come around a six-pack of soda. When tossing it in the trash, it’s hard to imagine that small thing of plastic could do much damage, but when those rings end up in the environment, curious animals enter a losing battle. Birds and other animals pick up the plastic rings and many times wind up entangled in the small piece of plastic. A simple snip to cut the rings before discarding them could help prevent this, giving the birds the advantage in this fight between animal and plastic. Until that becomes the norm, though, the birds will lose this battle.

Fish vs. Non-biodegradable Plastic Particles

We know from previous posts that much of our plastic waste finds a home in the ocean after it is used and discarded. The plastic will never decompose, but it does break down into smaller pieces as time passes. Fish in the ocean mistake these little pieces for food and consume them. The plastic makes them feel full, so they don’t eat real food, thus depriving them of the nutrition they need in order to survive. The fish are committing themselves to this untimely ending by consuming the plastic, but the plastic is doing the dirty work. The plastic particles are hard to beat in this fight because just as we saw in our other two examples, the fish simply don’t know any better.

There are many other fights happening between plastic pollution and our wildlife every day that simply goes unnoticed. We can help prevent these battles from taking place by disposing of our plastic waste responsibly. Before #NationalWildlifeDay rolls around again next September, think about how plastic waste is harming the wild animals around you. By reducing plastic consumption and waste, we can help protect these animals not only on National Wildlife Day, but every day of the year.