Wildlife

Wild Bird Plastic Ingestion Welfare

Plastic ingestion causes prolonged suffering and death in seabirds, with an estimated 90% of seabirds having ingested plastic by 2050 if current trends continue.

Key Facts

Laysan albatrosses feed plastic to chicks causing starvation and perforation injuries
Fulmars are used as biomonitors for North Sea plastic pollution due to high ingestion rates
Microplastic ingestion causes toxin transfer and inflammation in digestive systems
Plastic ingestion affects over 200 seabird species globally
Beach clean-up efforts reduce local plastic pollution but cannot address ocean accumulation

Welfare Considerations

Plastic ingestion causes prolonged starvation and internal injury in millions of seabirds annually. Source reduction of plastic entering marine environments is the only sustainable solution.

What You Can Do

Reduce single-use plastic consumption to lower marine plastic pollution
Participate in beach clean events to remove accessible marine plastic
Support organisations campaigning for legislative plastic reduction
Raise awareness of seabird plastic ingestion as a welfare and conservation emergency