The Casualties Of A Plastic-Obsessed Culture

How sad that Mother Nature's innocent bystanders are often the ones who pay the ultimate price for society's eco-irresponsibility. If the eyes are truly the windows to the soul, then imagine how heartbroken the seabird above must have been as it witnessed the transformation of its natural landscape into that of a plastic dumping zone. 

Experts say that global warming is largely responsible for compromising the food sources of countless species around the world, so it's hardly surprising that the unfortunate subject of our photo ended up dining on a steady stream of plastic waste. Hey, a bird's gotta eat, right? In defense of our hungry seaside feathered friends everywhere, it can be hard to discern whether a potential meal is legitimately seaweed-based or actually just a green plastic bag. When the hunger reflex and the will-to-survive both kick in at the same time, a motley array of washed-up plastic trash can take on an infinitely more appetizing appearance. 

While it's really shocking to see so much plastic junk stuffed inside of a bird corpse, it is even sadder still to note that the same fate is met by large numbers of their offspring (one casualty is pictured below).  Adult albatross are surface "fishers" that scan the upper layer of the ocean for suitable nourishment to feed their young, but since their stomping grounds are clogged with non-biodegradable trash, they inadvertently scoop up lots of this waste and then feed it to their babies.

How the spoils of our consumerist ways ended up infiltrating the natural habitat of our seabirds is a tale best left for another day.  I think it's fair to say, however, that when we think that we're throwing something away, unless it's biodegradable, it is merely relocated away from our view into the backyard or nesting grounds of another.