A new danger from the floods in Australia

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I know many of you are aware of the catastrophic floods Australia has been having in Queensland and northern New South Wales. Such events often result in unexpected outcomes. In this case, a new environmental disaster is emerging as large, medium and small sections of polystyrene pontoons are being washed up onto beaches hundreds of kilometres from their original positions. Thousands of tiny polystyrene beads are now covering the coastlines. Environmentalists are concerned the debris will be ingested by dolphins and other marine animals. The tiny beads may be seen as food by birds. Turtle eggs are hatching at the moment and the hatchlings are trying to make their way to the water. The debris hampers their progress and it’s possible they’d mistake the beads for food. Volunteers are trying to clear beaches of the beads by using battery-operated vacuum cleaners. Environmentalists want the authorities to secure the large chunks to stop the release of the beads. As if the people over there don’t have enough to worry about. The photo was taken by me in a Queensland Zoo.