People are being warned to safely dispose of their face masks after a seagull became trapped in one for more than a week.
The RSPCA say the gull, found in Essex, could be the first of many victims as covering your face becomes mandatory in shops from Friday.
Staff at a car showroom in Chelmsford called for help after seeing the bird struggling to move. It had been spotted walking with difficulty on several occasions and became rooted to the same spot for hours on Saturday.
RSPCA inspector Adam Jones said: “I went out to catch him and when he tried to hop away he would stumble and fall.
“As soon as I caught him it was clear to see why as the poor thing had a disposable Covid face mask tangled around both legs. Vets were able to cut the mask off and the bird is now recovering. It’s clear the mask was there for some time and the elastic straps had tightened around his legs as his joints were swollen and sore.”
The young bird was later taken to the specialist team at South Essex Wildlife Hospital where staff managed to cut the mask off.
Mr Jones added: “Thankfully, he’s been doing well and is being monitored closely. They’ve now released him out into an aviary with other gulls and, when the group is ready, they’ll all be released together.
“I m concerned that this gull could be the first of many victims now that face masks are the norm.”
The World Health Organisation recommends disposable masks are thrown away after every use or when they become damp.
They are made from non-recyclable materials – often layers of plastics – raising fears about their environmental impact.
A report by UCL’s Plastic Waste Innovation Hub has found that if every person in the United Kingdom used one single-use face mask each day for a year, it would create 66,000 tonnes of waste.
Covering your face is already mandatory on public transport and will be necessary in shops too by the end of this week.
Globally we are thought to be using 129 billion face masks and 65 billion plastic gloves every month.
Adam said: “I’d appeal to all members of the public to ensure they dispose of their face masks and disposable gloves – and all other types of litter – properly and responsibly, so that animals don’t get hurt.”
