Images highlight devastating impact of plastic pollution on wildlife

Tue, 02 Jun 2020

Images, taken at opposite ends of the Island, show the devastating impact plastic pollution can have on wildlife.

The distressing photos show birds which have died after becoming entangled in discarded plastic. The first shows a chough wrapped in orange twine near a large nest visibly containing plastic waste at the Chasms - the second shows a swift unable to free itself from a mass of white twine on Ballaugh Beach.

Geoffrey Boot MHK, Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture, said: ‘It’s incredibly sad to see, but it’s important we do as it reminds us how important initiatives such as Beach Buddies Plastic Busters, 3POP and Fishing for Litter are, as they actively remove plastic pollution from our environment.’

Bird breeding and nesting season runs from March to August and the Department has produced a guide to help beach cleaners to reduce the disturbance to nesting birds. It can be downloaded from the Government’s website or Biosphere social media channels.

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