Plastics in food and the agony animals face - Is this fair?
Plastics in food and
the agony animals face - Is this fair?
Do you feel like eating if you find this in
your lunch box or you get only this in your canteen?
This is an inadmissible idea to all of us, but our fellow
living creatures on land and sea can’t complain or have an alternative. Have
you ever thought of the agony they go through? Do you know how much plastic
waste is found inside cattle’s stomach on an average? Do you know how many
species have already eaten plastic unknowingly on our planet?
These are such questions that need to be answered by all of
us as we are responsible for the situation today.
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Plastic, because of its versatility and inexpensive nature,
finds application in every part of our life and is the ideal choice. However,
its useful qualities have led to causing concerns to our species, oceans, and
the environment. Our disposable lifestyle has made the plastics unsustainable
and not worthy enough to be used.
How Marine Life is paying the price:
“There is no getting away – because plastic is so
permanent and so indestructible, when you cast it into the ocean it doesn’t go
away” - David Attenborough
Life in the ocean and
surrounding it have become slaves of plastic pollution. More than 800
species worldwide have been affected by the plastic debris in one form or
the other.
A staggering estimate of
14 million metric tons of plastic ends up in our ocean each year through the coastlines, which are taking a toll on marine
life. Today, plastic waste has been found in animals ranging from fish,
turtles, whales, sea birds, crustaceans, and shellfish. An
innumerable number of sea turtles are injured every year and also face
death as a result of their entanglement in plastic debris, sharp objects, and
commercial fishing nets. This is the same case with every other marine species
adding to their existing problems of ingesting floating bits of plastic for food.
Once swallowed, the plastic waste obstructs the digestive system leading to a
silent death.
Majority of them starve after
eating plastic as they believe their stomach is full. Ingesting plastic can
also sometimes lead to poisoning as toxic chemicals leach out from the plastic. Several marine animals
like fish, seabirds, turtles, and other mammals also get entangled in plastic
debris. Entanglement also leads to a variety of issues like causing open
wounds, infection and inability to eat/find food and escape from predators. If
plastic gets caught in a young marine animal it can cut into its body as it
grows and spread the infection leading to its death.
Our marine species are succumbing
to the poison of plastic that we humans indiscriminately dispose of them on our
land to flow into oceans. The plastic waste subjected to harsh sunlight/heat,
extreme wind, and gigantic waves, break down into smaller bits called
micro-plastics which has taken a toll on every marine species and has now
entered our bodies through the food chain. Fish and many other marine animals
that use their gills to take in water are already affected by micro-plastics
and the damage that is done to them is on the rise.
Some of the commonly found plastic objects inside animals and on the
shores are bottle caps, polythene covers, cigarette lighters, plastic toys, and
fishing nets. Given the vast size of whales’ mouths,
they inadvertently intake plastic waste along with the fish they envelop in the
water column. Post-mortem examinations of the whales washed ashore have shown
large amounts of plastic debris in their digestive system.
While some marine animals directly consume
plastic, others get it hidden in their meal. Animals higher up in the food
chain like sea lions eat fish that has plastic inside its digestive tract. This
is transferred from one predator to the next leaving no one on the food web. Through the domino effect, it spreads further to the larger
species all the way ending up in our plates in the form of fish and other
marine creatures. As everything on our planet is deeply connected, humans
cannot escape from their actions and they hit back.
Countless sea birds are injured
and in some cases killed by marine debris every year. In a study conducted on
marine birds, it is found that 90% of them have ingested plastic waste at least
once in their lives. Many seabirds also unsuspectingly feed plastic debris to
their chicks.
Scientists predict that the weight of ocean plastics will
definitely exceed the combined weight of all fish in the seas by 2050. The
plastic waste problem created by us not only affects and today threatens the
existence of many species. It is also believed that around 700
marine species would become extinct in the near future given the state of
plastic pollution. Some of the plastics are proven to contain dangerous
toxins which get accumulated in tissues of animals, birds and their off-springs
compromising their survival. Failure to act upon this horrifying injustice to
our fellow species is against our values and principles.
Cows and the slow
painful death that they go through in our society:
Cattle which is abundant in our Indian
society represent prosperity are the farmers’ backbone as they help in farming,
provide nourishing milk and its dung as fuel. The holy cow is revered by many
and treated as God is also no exception to brutal plastic waste. Cattle herd
owners and farmers who can’t afford to feed often set them free to find food on
their own. Due to the poor waste management system in most of the places in
India garbage is found in every corner. A large number of cows lumber through
the waste and garbage bins foraging for leftovers, vegetables, kitchen refuse
or anything that is smelling like food. As plastics have become an inherent
part of our lives, households dump garbage and food waste always in plastic
bags knotted at the mouth.
Helpless cows unable to open the bags
eat food leftovers along with the plastic covers. In this process, cows that
unknowingly consume plastic bags, covers, cups, etc. regurgitates them as well
and this crushed plastic builds up in their organs and cement inside their
rumens. This indigestible inorganic material over a period of time makes it
becomes difficult for cows to eat and takes them through a situation takes that
is slow, painful and ultimately leading to death by starvation.
Cows that were supposed to graze on lavish green
fields have already lost their homes owing to the urbanization and now
sacrificing their lives at the cost of scavenging for food. Self-styled cow
protection groups also called gau-rakshaks who are known to protect cattle have
put little or no effort in saving them from the real threats to their survival
- garbage, plastic bags, open dumps, etc.
Cows, as we know, have sacrificed their lives for
our welfare and good health. It is only fair that we should also do our part in
saving them from going through this agony.
Conclusion:
Our personal choices and actions will take us
throughout the crisis that we built and will drive towards restoration. The
time is ripe for global changes in the way we produce, use and dispose of the
plastic. Though it can sound overwhelming, there are things that can be driven
at an individual level. By consciously choosing what we use and changing our
consumption patterns, we can make a difference in the plastic waste
accumulation on land as well as sea.
We have to drive change through education as it
helps in spreading awareness acting as a foundation for all our initiatives. By
educating and inspiring our friends, family, and the neighborhood, we can
protect our future generations and species from becoming extinct.
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