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| Macaques have been spotted chewing the straps off old and tossed-aside masks in the hills outside Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur - a potential choking hazard for the diminutive monkeys.(Photo by=AFP/Mohd Rasfan) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] Masks that helped save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic are proving a deadly hazard for wildlife, with birds and marine creatures ensnared in the staggering number of discarded facial coverings littering animal habitats. Worn once, the thin protective materials can take hundreds of years to decompose. Already there are signs that masks are worsening threats to marine life.
Macaques have been spotted chewing the straps off old and tossed-aside masks in the hills outside Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur - a potential choking hazard for the diminutive monkeys. In Britain, a gull was rescued by the RSPCA in the city of Chelmsford after its legs became tangled in the straps of a disposable mask for up to a week. The biggest impact may be in the water, with green groups alarmed at the flood of used masks, latex gloves, and other protective gear finding their way into already contaminated seas and rivers.
More than 1.5 billion masks made their way into the world's oceans last year, accounting for around 6,200 extra tonnes of marine plastic pollution, according to environmental group OceansAsia.Campaigners have urged people to bin them properly and snip the straps to reduce the risk of animals becoming ensnared. OceansAsia has also called on governments to increase fines for littering and encourage the use of washable masks.
