Penguin found dead on Brazilian beach after swallowing entire face mask during voyage from Patagonia, autopsy shows
- An N95 mask was found inside the stomach of a Magellanic penguin in Brazil
- It is thought it became lost from its group after migrating from Patagonia
- An autopsy found the mask inside the penguin as groups warn about disposal
A penguin has been found dead on a Brazilian beach after swallowing a whole face mask.
The N95 mask, used in industry and healthcare during the coronavirus pandemic, was found during an autopsy on the bird after its body was found on Juquehy Beach in Sao Sebastian, north of Sao Paulo.
The animal was a Magellanic penguin thought to have become lost from the rest of its group after migrating from Argentina's southern Patagonian region.
A penguin (pictured) has died on a Brazilian beach after swallowing a whole black N95 face mask
Distressing pictures of the face covering in the bird's stomach, taken by animal experts who practiced the necropsy, were released on Monday.
Hugo Gallo Neto, President of NGO Instituto Argonauta which carried out the examination, told local press: 'We have already warned about face masks, and this case is unequivocal proof that this type of waste causes harm and mortality in marine fauna.
'It also demonstrates the irresponsibility of the person who leaves a mask in an inappropriate place, as it is hospital waste at risk of contamination by other people.'
The NGO also said it had found 113 face masks discarded on beaches on Sao Paulo northern coastline, which includes Juquehy Beach, in the five month period to mid-September.
The mask (pictured), used in industry and healthcare during the coronavirus pandemic, was found during an autopsy on the bird
Face masks have been causing litter problems on land and at sea since they were made a legal requirement in many public spaces around the world.
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) warned in July that the incorrect disposal of personal protective equipment (PPE) from hospitals could pose a new threat to the environment.
It said: 'If only one per cent of the masks were disposed of incorrectly and perhaps dispersed in nature, this would result in 10 million masks per month in the environment.'
No comments: