Pretty Disgusting

http://www.wimp.com/beseen/

 

That makes me cry inside.
We are all part of the problem in one way or another, advertently or inadvertently.

 

So if they swallow all that plastic, presumably they'd swallow pumice with similar results, and pumice isn't anything new ?

 

Yah.

Sea turtles also suffer from plastic. Locally we has a group who specialize in untangling beached turtles and lame seagulls from nets and six pack rings..

 

That's rough for so early in the morning.

 

Like us humans they too have a very limited chance of species survival. The sad part of it all is the sooner we exit the game the better the chance they have.

 

When the sea turtles are migrating Ill see hundreds of them at sea during calm weather. Late September in the Sardinian Sea is typical. Easy to spot because Seagulls like to stand on their backs for a rest.
Manytimes I get reflections on my radar off sleeping sea turtles. Like you Canadians get reflections off seals poking their heads up.

Often Ill spot a turtle wrapped in plastic. Ill try to get close and net them but they are to shy.


[URL="

 

This affects me the same way. Re-cycling is more important than ever if only to help prevent scenes like this from being repeated.

 

The amount of plastic ingested may be related to a lack of fish/squid available. If food was abundant, I doubt they'd be scavenging floating detritus.

 

I don't think so.
Birds like seagulls swallow all small floating objects, including my cigar butts. They even fight over who gets the largest part of a Scotch-Brite sponge that falls overboard.
There is a short period in spring here when part of this island's oak forest is defoliated by millions of toxic caterpillars. Seagulls feed on these as well because it is easier than catching fish, the stinging poison doesn't seem to bother them at all.
Their digestive system can cope with almost anything, except plastics.

 

Well, if they are that indiscriminate, the only hope is a selection process will kick in that favours fussier foraging habits. Do you think they could deal with pumice ? Doubt the digestive juices would have any effect on it.

 

Birds do not have teeth. Those that eat plants or meat will eat stones to help digestion. They sit in the gizzard and act like a ball mill.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gizzard

 

Yes, that is what evolution does!
And I think pumice is mainly calcium, so their stomach acid (HCl) must be able to dissolve it.

 

Pumice, of course is igneous (silicate mainly) rock with numerous cavities. In all likelihood it would grind down to a harmless powder in their innards. Not sure what the specific gravity of common plastics is, maybe the solution to floating plastic would be add more inorganic solids ( they already contain them as colouring pigments) so it sinks. Obviously not applicable to clear plastics.

 

If the plastic is small enough, it'll just pass right through. I've seen cows ingest sections of plastic netting, used to cover hay bales and it's in a smelly heep somewhere in the pasture then next day.

It is a sin to see these sort of things, but I don't necessarily feel bad about it, I'm just glad I'm not that stupid. Sure I'd like to see the beasts not suffer, but a well placed round in the head, to relieve the poor thing is probably the best thing. This may seem harsh, but a Wilda beast migration is especially tough too. What percentage of birds flying back up north in the spring, just don't make it? I'm reminded of the Cheech and Chong skit "Smells like ****". If it looks like it, tastes like it, feels like and smells like, do you really want to eat it or try to swim or fly through it? Yeah it's a crime that turtle tried to take a short cut through that chair, but really, if you where a turtle, would you want this as your genetic predecessor, let alone your father?

The most important thing about life is quite simply that change, is the most essential element to existence.