Wildlife Welfare

Plastic Pollution and Wildlife: Individual and Population Welfare

Plastic pollution causes welfare harm through entanglement, ingestion, and chemical contamination affecting wildlife at individual and population level.

Key Facts

Microplastics are found in the bodies of wildlife across all major ecosystems
Seabirds feed plastic to chicks causing starvation from gastric impaction
Sea turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish with fatal consequences
Ghost fishing gear traps and kills marine mammals, sea turtles, and birds for decades
Chemical additives in plastics bioaccumulate in food chains affecting reproductive health

Welfare Considerations

Plastic pollution causes multiple categories of animal welfare harm from acute entanglement trauma to chronic microplastic ingestion to reproductive failure from chemical contamination. The welfare consequences are felt across the animal kingdom from garden hedgehogs consuming microplastics through earthworms to albatrosses feeding bottle caps to chicks. Reducing plastic production and improving waste management are welfare imperatives as well as environmental ones.

What You Can Do

Reduce single-use plastic consumption and support plastic reduction policies
Participate in beach, river, and community clean-up events
Advocate for extended producer responsibility for plastic waste management
Donate to organizations researching plastic impacts on wildlife welfare