Conservationists are calling for a ban on mass balloon releases because birds and mammals are dying from eating discarded balloons. The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) says organisers of balloon releases should look for different ways to publicise their cause. They claim they have photographs of dead marine birds and mammals washed up on the beach in Blackpool.
A graphic photo from the examination of a dead turtle shows an old balloon in its gut. The suspicion is that the turtle thought the brightly coloured fragment floating on the water was something edible. There is also an image of a decomposed razorbill bird, with its legs entangled in the string of a balloon.
Gill Bell from the MCS said the problem is getting worse year after year. "In the last 10 years we have seen a 260% increase in the number of balloons we are finding on our beaches. And we know that these are just balloons on the beaches. We believe there are many more in the water. A recent international survey found nearly 60,000 balloons over a two-day period last year."
The Balloon Association however, say there is no proof latex balloons kill animals and argue that a code of conduct has already been drawn up for balloon releases in conjunction with the MCS. They also say released balloons reach higher altitudes, shatter and decompose. In a statement they said, "Latex is fully biodegradable and an inflated latex balloon decomposes at about the same rate as an oak leaf under similar conditions."
