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Writer's pictureLillian

The Masked Menace

As a gardener, I am always on the lookout for critters who are enjoying - or thinking of destroying - my gardens. I do enjoy raccoons, even skunks, as long as they are just passing by. The masked bandits are the most entertaining; their curiosity aided by their dexterous hands make for an anything can happen situation. As I walk the dogs early each morning, I am amused by the "late-night party goers" who are making their way back home to sleep the day away. As mischievous as they are, raccoons sleepily walking home are amusing to watch and are too tired to bother with my gardens.

But there is one masked menace that I can certainly do without. No, it's not this guy -> he's too cute! It's the masked menace who forgets to discard his/her mask properly, creating litter and, even worse, entanglement among various animals. The troublesome mammal causing these environmental challenges is the human. Actually, now that I think about it, I could change the title of this blog entry to "The Un-Masked Menace".


Wearing a mask in consideration of the health of others is a social courtesy that is appreciated and, for now, still necessary. The donning of a mask is a simple action; one conducted with the bigger picture and a positive future in mind. Disposing of it properly requires the same purposeful action with a tad more care involved. We're talking about more than just throwing one's used mask in the proper receptacle. Although, that in and of itself, is an act that can greatly be improved. We're talking about "disarming" your used mask before its proper disposal. It's pretty easy!


Say hello to our friendly global citizen, Melanie. Melanie will show you how easy it is to disassemble and discard your used mask with just a few easy steps.

 

Single-use face masks are pretty easy to disassemble; cloth masks will require a bit more upper body strength or scissors. Why de-loop the loop? The environmental impact an "armed" mask has is serious. Aquatic and terrestrial species alike have been negatively affected by their encounters with our PPE waste. Entanglement, ingestion, habitat pollution, death - all more easily avoidable or reduced when the ear loops of masks are removed.


Masks are common beach litter
Masks are common beach litter
Decreased mobility and difficulty feeding will harm this duck
Mask entanglement hampers growth. mobility, and feeding.













Fish and other marine life may ingest masks; entanglement usually results in death.
Fish and other marine life may ingest masks; entanglement usually results in death.

While birdwatching, the SOAR team has seen seagulls with masks around their legs, cormorants with masks around their necks, and bird nests with masks as part of the structure - the loops just waiting to harm future fledglings. Single-use masks hanging from tree limbs, stuck on bushes, or scattered on the ground are frustrating to see; we remove and dispose of them safely as often as we can. Cloth and designer/personalized cloth masks are also commonplace. We suspect that these were simply lost or dropped. Nevertheless, their potential for harm remains.


Like SOAR, there are conservation organizations that work hard to undo negative human impact on animals. One of our favorite, Ocean Conservation Namibia, engaged in a seal rescue involving a single-use face mask.

I was pretty surprised to see how this particular single-use mask held up. I've ripped my loops off with a simple adjustment, requiring me to put on a new mask. The seal rescue shows how important it is not to underestimate the strength of the "flimsy" straps.

 

Bottom line? Our protection must extend to the protection of all living things around us. So, before you toss your face mask, remember...


Snip the strips

De-loop the loops

Don't fling with the string


 

Beach litter image credit: Chris Redan

Duck entanglement image credit: Mary Caporal Prior

Blowfish mask entanglement image credit: OceansAsia
















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