Plastic and other human-made materials like glass, metal pieces, rubber bands, clay pottery and tile pieces are what the elephants in the forests of Uttarakhand are consuming.
A team of researchers made this disturbing revelation in their study after they found these non-biodegradable toxic materials in the dung samples collected from four sites — three near the Haridwar Forest Division (Laldhang, Gaindikhata, and Shyampur), and one near Lansdowne Forest Division (Kotdwar).
The first systematic documentation published in the latest Journal for Nature Conservation underlines the vulnerability of wild animals to plastic ingestion risk.
It also provides proof that elephants, an endangered mammal species, ingest non-biodegradable, toxic anthropogenic waste, and that it is moving through their digestive systems.
Gitanjali Katlam, the lead author of the study, noted that about one-third (32 per cent) of the elephant dung samples showed the presence of anthropogenic waste.
“About one-third of all elephant dung samples collected from the areas showed the presence of anthropogenic waste. Roughly 85 per cent of this was plastic (ranging in size from one millimeter to 35 centimeters), with each sample containing on average as many as 35-60 pieces of plastic.”
Macroplastics (larger than five millimeters) were more common than microplastics (one to five millimeters), said the study titled ‘Plastic ingestion in Asian elephants in the forested landscapes of Uttarakhand, India.’
Plastics consumed by the elephants are carried deep into the forests, thereby increasing the chances of other animals consuming plastics, said the experts.
Over the last few years, there have been alarming photos and reports of wildlife, including snow leopards, tigers, leopards, and deer, feeding at garbage dumps or carrying plastic waste.
In fact, recently Union Environment Minister, Bhupender Yadav, too, had said that during his visit to the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, he found a herd of Cheetal feeding on plastic.
Ironically, the case is just the tip of the iceberg. The problem of plastic litter is at almost all national parks, tiger reserves, and wildlife sanctuaries.
Ahead of the ban on identified single-use plastic (SUP) items, Yadav had said, “We will ensure that such plastic is not littered in our national parks or wildlife sanctuaries as plastic, especially micro-plastic has an adverse impact not just on humans but also on the animal world.”
High plastic presence in elephant dung highlights its widespread use near protected habitats Continued on P2
