Let go of a balloon, a whale dies
Our most simple, accidental actions can have disastrous results. Human actions have consequences. Something similar to the ‘butterfly effect‘. A recent post shared France’s efforts (and French people) to reduce and eventually stop plastic and other non-organic waste. The Pacific Ocean garbage patch (Wikipedia, CNN, National Geographic) has been well covered in mainstream press.
On a recent trip to Montego Bay, Jamaica, I must of kicked 5-10 pieces of plastic from water / tideline up onto the beach for clean up crews to remove EVERY day walking on the beach: child sandals, bottles, bags, toys were common.
Even the simple and oft repeated action of letting go of a mylar balloon may kill another creature as magnificent as a Gervais’ beaked whale.
On Oct. 30, a disturbing discovery was made on Emerald Isle’s shores, as reported by UNC Wilmington newspaper The Seahawk — a deceased Gervais’ beaked whale with a Mylar balloon lodged in its stomach. The autopsy on the female calf, conducted by a team from various institutions, revealed the cause of death as an obstruction due to the balloon.
This incident is not isolated. Dr. Tiffany Keenan of UNCW’s Marine Mammal Stranding Program notes that while such cases are rare, they are not unheard of. The beaked whale is particularly vulnerable due to its feeding mechanism that doesn’t allow regurgitation, making it impossible for the whale to expel the ingested balloon.
“People don’t even know about [beaked whales], but somehow, our trash reaches them,” Keenan stated. “That’s the crazy part.”
https://www.thecooldown.com/outdoors/gervais-beaked-whale-dead-plastic-pollution/
Our actions regardless of their intent or complexity are seldom, if ever, without consequence – even if an ocean away.
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