A disturbing crisis is unfolding on Lord Howe Island, where thousands of seabirds known as flesh-footed shearwaters are suffering the consequences of Earth’s growing plastic pollution.
Home to around 44,000 of these migratory birds, the small volcanic island off the east coast of Australia has become a stark symbol of the environmental damage caused by plastic waste.
Scientists say the birds now routinely ingest such large quantities of plastic that some make a distinct “crack and crunch” sound when handled.
Flesh-footed shearwater chicks, confined to their burrows for the first 90 days of life, rely on their parents to bring them food from the surrounding Tasman Sea.
