Animals are helpless to remove human litter from their habitats. Unfortunately, where many non-human species live, the habits of people affect them in negative and often deadly ways. When humans are careless and indifferent to what they do to the environment, animals suffer.
Thankfully, my parents taught me at an early age what a garbage can was and that throwing trash on the ground is never an option. I would no more think to thrown an empty plastic bottle, a half-eaten sandwich or a dead AA battery on the ground than I would to pour harmful chemicals down a storm drain. Sadly, I have learned it is not a worldwide practice to teach this basic level of respect for the environment. The act of using the ground as a garbage disposal is a worldwide habit that desperately needs to be broken.
During the last year, I’ve spent a lot of time visiting the Middle East and have been shocked by the indifference I’ve witnessed towards the environment. For example, all the streets in Kuwait are strewn with an endless assortment of trash. Some of the trash remarkably makes it into a garbage bag, but not as far as a dumpster. Often these bags are torn open, an indication that a hungry animal was looking for food. Unfortunately, in their search for something edible, dogs and cats also ingest poisonous substances that can make them very sick or kill them. If trash like this had been disposed properly, fewer animals would suffer the results of eating the wrong things.
When I walk along the beach in Kuwait, it is unthinkable to go without shoes. The sand is covered with discarded fast food containers, disposable diapers, empty cigarette packs and soda cans. I know the plastic bags I see blow into the gulf will probably end up being ingested by some sea creature, causing serious health problems and certain death. I watched as one young man, setting out for a day at the beach with his family, emptied three plastic bags of ice into his ice chest and then dropped all three bags on the ground. It was unbelievable to me how this thoughtless act came so naturally.
Considering the fragile state of the earth and the habitats of its creatures, these thoughtless acts are no longer acceptable anywhere.
Witnessing this widespread disrespect for the environment has opened my eyes to how one person, one group of people, one community and one country can affect the environment by their actions. Choosing to be part of the solution is up to each individual. As an American, I realize that our nation’s excessive consumption, and disregard for the effect of this consumption on the environment, has spread worldwide overtime. We have set a bad example over the past 50 years. Now, however, I hope our country’s increasing focus on the environment and renewed thoughts on the effects of our consumption habits also will spread. Personally, I’m afraid that we’re changing too slowly because our current poisonous habits are killing our animal friends.
What can you do? The next time you see a discarded item on the ground in front of you, don’t step over it. Take the time to pick it up and throw it away. Imagine if everyone who walks this earth did that. Also, take the time in your community to spread good habits by teaching the children near you how important it is to reduce, reuse and recycle. These lessons are not just for our own protection, but also for the protection of the voiceless species that we all love so much. Make a statement that you care about all life and pitch in.
Terri Crisp is SPCA International Program Development Manager
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