Digit Entrapment Due to Plastic Waste in a Verreaux’s Eagle Owl (Bubo lacteus)

Thomas, Lindsay; Dobbs, Phillipa; Ashfield, Samantha

doi:10.3390/jzbg3030033

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 19 publications

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“…Our understanding of the scale and impact of plastic entanglement on terrestrial species is, by comparison, very limited. Most studies on this topic have focused on birds [29][30][31][32], though entanglement is also reported in mammals such as the black howler monkey (Alouatta caraya), white-tailed opossum (Didelphis albiventris), fat mice (Thylamys sp. ), polar bear (Ursus maritimus), and artic fox (Alopex lagopus) [19,33,34].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plastic Entanglement Poses a Potential Hazard to European Hedgehogs Erinaceus europaeus in Great Britain

Thrift

Nouvellet

Mathews

2023

Animals

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A questionnaire to gather evidence on the plastic entanglement of the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) was sent to 160 wildlife rehabilitation centres in Great Britain. Fifty-four responses were received, and 184 individual admissions owing to plastic entanglement were reported. Death was the outcome for 46% (n = 86) of these cases. A high proportion of Britain’s hedgehogs enter rehabilitation centres annually (approximately 5% of the national population and potentially 10% of the urban population), providing a robust basis for assessing the minimum impacts at a national level. We estimate that 4000–7000 hedgehog deaths per year are attributable to plastic, with the true rate likely being higher, since many entangled hedgehogs—in contrast to those involved in road traffic accidents—will not be found. Population modelling indicates that this excess mortality is sufficient to cause population declines. Although the scale of the impact is much lower than that attributable to traffic, it is nevertheless an additional pressure on a species that is already in decline and presents a significant welfare issue to a large number of individuals.

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