Real Life Stories from the Scottish SPCA
This little hedgehog was snuffling around in the undergrowth and managed to get its head stuck through a beer can holder. These are extremely dangerous as they are made from plastic which is very difficult to tear meaning when am animal gets trapped in one it can cause serious wounds and eventually strangulation. The hedgehog was spotted by a member of the public so was one of the lucky ones.
It’s not just mammals that can get caught up in the beer can holders. Millions of birds also are seriously injured or killed by them. They can get trapped round beaks and wings meaning the bird is unable to eat or fly. If you are discarding a can holder in the bin, make sure that you cut them up so there are no complete holes.
This young kestrel managed to get himself all caught up in some discarded netting this caused serious injuries to his leg and would eventually cut off the circulation. He also is unable to fly or catch prey which would lead to starvation.
Plastic bags cause a huge risk to lots of wild animals, this hedgehog got wrapped up in the handles of a carrier bag and stuck to all his little spines meaning he was found dragging it along with him as he wandered along. He was quickly freed with no injuries ?
A member of the public spotted this nosey fox was obviously looking for some tasty treat and managed to get his head stuck in a milk carton. Foxes are scavengers and will investigate any litter lying around in the chance they will come across food! Luckily someone spotted them as eventually the fox would have died of suffocation or starvation.
This was her afterwards looking very shocked and scared.
Another hedgehog who managed to get his head stuck in the lid of a McFlurry, being hard plastic this would dig right into his neck and strangle him. As hedgehog’s heads are very close to the ground there is more chance of them crawling through litter and finding themselves stuck or injured.
Pets can also be harmed by litter. Dogs especially can often pick up rubbish and eat it, especially if it smells like food. This can result in an expensive vet bill and there is the risk that whatever your pet has eaten could kill it.
More recently we have seen a lot of injuries to wildlife from people throwing facemasks away.
This pigeon was hanging from a tree after getting caught up in a facemask.
This Hedgehog was snuffling inside an empty tub of fish food and managed to get it stuck on its head.
Luckily we mananged to get it safely removed and he was released back into the wild after a few days rest and recuperation.
Further Information
For more information on the above topics explore these links.
This is part of the Let's Make Bennachie Litter Free! information.