Screengrab from a viral video that shows hungry elephant trying to eat plastic. [ Twitter@susantananda3]
Plastic pollution is raising a serious concern for our environment. The ignorant animals are also getting affected by it. Who would tell them that these plastic materials are injurious to their health? The plastic pollution is predominant in developing Asian and African countries due to the insufficient or non-existent garbage collection systems according to National Geographic.
In developed countries as well, the low recycling rates create hurdles in the proper collection of discarded plastics. Recently, a heart-breaking video has been shared on Twitter by Susanta Nanda, Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer, in which an elephant can be seen lifting a piece of plastic from the ground through its trunk and eating it.
Susanta Nanda stated in the caption that only we humans create waste that nature can’t digest. He went on to say, “Plastics can be dangerous for even such a gigantic animal. It can block the alimentary canal. Urging everyone to be responsible in safe disposal of single use plastics.”
Have a look at this video here:
The video attracted a lot of anger and criticism from the users.
A user commented that taking any kind of plastic in the national parks should be strictly prohibited, whether it is for water or anything else. She added that people would not take this seriously until and unless they are penalised.
A person advised that the videographer should have done something to stop the elephant from eating the plastic. She went on to say that the elephant didn’t look aggressive so he could have used a distraction like offering food to the gentle giant to stop it from consuming the plastic.
An account wrote he hoped that the concerned forest officials had taken care of the elephant.
A person said that it was really heartbreaking to see this animal eating plastic.
A user stated that he felt sorry for the animals.
An account said that it was very disturbing to see such visuals. He went on to ask how animals could eat plastic when it has no taste in it.
According to the National Geographic, half of all the plastics in the world have been manufactured in the last 15 years.
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