A devastating photo of a deer in Spain with its head caught in a plastic jug has gone viral, providing us with a sobering reminder to be responsible about how we dispose of plastic waste.
The photo was shared by photographer Mentxu Sotelo, who reported feeling ‘outraged’ at the sight of the deer. Sotelo went on to explain that he tried unsuccessfully to remove the container from the distressed animal’s head: “We tried to grab it but it fell into the ravine below and we could not do anything.”
He continued: “I think that in this case, an image is worth a thousand words…Maybe we all think about our actions because only with our individual actions we can do much, much more than we think.”
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first case — by far — of an animal getting caught in plastic materials improperly disposed of by humans. Earlier this year, a deer in Auburn, California was discovered with a peanut butter jar stuck in its mouth.
In that case, personnel from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife captured the deer and released it back into the wild after a veterinary examination; but not all animals are that lucky, including the deer in Sotelo’s photo.
One of the main ways plastic waste harms both land and marine animals is by entangling or trapping them. Animals may also mistake plastic for food and eat it, and can ultimately die from malnutrition.
Although people have little control over where their waste ultimately ends up, we can do things at the individual level to reduce the harmful effects of plastic. In addition to disposing of plastics properly by recycling them and not littering, you can engage in waste-reduction practices such as finding new uses for plastic containers, not using straws, and cutting back on your purchases of products with harmful plastic packaging.
Protect wildlife from all human carelessness
Plastic usage should be banned in general. There wasn’t plastic before and humans were able to survive with no problems. These days is everything about money…but most people, and clearly animals as well, as paying for it in different ways.So sad and unnecessary!
MOST GOVERNMENTS HAVE VERY LITTLE INTELLIGENCE, BECAUSE THEY ALLOW THEIR COUNTRY TO BE
HUMAN POPULATED SO MUCH THEY CANNOT HANDLE THE WRONGS THAT THE PEOPLE DO; THEIR LAWS
ARE NOT STRICT ENOUGH TO KEEP THE BAD OUT; THEIR EDUCATION SYSTEM IS POOR; THEY HAVE NO
OR VERY LITTLE WELFARE FOR THE WONDERFUL, INNOCENT ANIMALS; THEY ARE NEGLECTFUL OF THE
ENVIRONMENT; THEY WORK WITH THE WHIMS OF PEOPLE WHICH MOST OFTEN IS NOT GOOD, AND SO ON.
If we stop buying plastic manufacturers and shops will stop using it.
When I was young there was little of this plastic waste. Rubbish was wrapped in newspaper, straws were made of paper and goods were put in paper bags at the shop when sold. The weeks shopping was packed in strong cardboard boxes and transported home. Why can’t we do this again? At the very least companies using excessive packaging of any type should be deemed wasteful and pay heavily for doing so.
YES, THE GOOD OLD DAYS WERE THE VERY BEST, BUT TECHNOLOGY TODAY IS AMAZING AND CAN DO A
LOT OF GOOD, BUT AT THE SAME TIME CAN DO A LOT OF BAD. WE CANNOT SUBSTITUTE THE FORM OF
PAPER AGAINST PLASTIC, BECAUSE THERE ARE FAR TOO MANY HUMANS IN THE WORLD. IF THERE WERE
AT LEAST HALF THE HUMAN POPULATION WE COULD. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE EACH AND EVERY COUNTRY
BALANCE THEIR HUMAN POPULATION TO THAT OF ANIMALS….THIS WAY OUR PLANET WILL NOT GIVE US
SO MANY NATURAL DISASTERS …….THE WORLD MUST HAVE IT’S RIGHTFUL EQUILIBRIUM BALANCE.
COUNTRIES SHOULD BAN ALL UNNECESSARY PACKAGING, AND SHOULD STOP PROCESSING WORTHLESS
FOOD ITEMS, AND TOO MANY DIFFERENT TOYS MAKES CHILDREN ILL AT EASE. I LOOKED AFTER A NUMBER OF CHILDREN WHOSE PARENTS BROUGHT TOYS WITH THEM AND THIS BECAME A REAL
PROBLEM OF WANTING ANOTHER’S TOY, SO I GAVE THEM A PIECE OF PAPER AND SAID IF YOU CHILDREN
WILL DRAW FOR ME A WONDERFUL PICTURE I WILL TAKE YOU IN THE FIELD TO RUN AROUND AND
CLIMB TREES AND PICK BERRIES….FOR NEARLY ONE HOUR THERE WAS PEACE, AND WHEN WE WENT
TO THE FIELD THEY STARTED LOOKING AND PICKING SOME WILD FLOWERS SO WE STARTED HAVING
OUR NATURE LESSONS THEN AND THERE. HOW WONDERFUL IT IS TO ACT SIMPLY, AND TO LIVE SIMPLY…..
LESS PROBLEMS IN THE WORLD THEN. BIRTH CONTROL IS A WONDERFUL TOOL TO LOWER HUMAN
POPULATION, SO THAT EVERYONE CAN HAVE A GOOD CHANCE IN LIFE.
Poor deer. How many animals have to suffer at the hands of humans? Surely plastic should be banned in the World by now.
I sure do agree, I hate the stuff, plastic, I prefer “ glass”….
IT COULD BE, BUT THERE ARE FAR TOO MANY HUMANS IN THE WORLD AND SELFISH , GREEDY PEOPLE
WANT, WANT, WANT. WITH THIS WANT THE GOVERNMENTS MAKE GOOD MONEY FOR THEIR RETIREMENT.
IT’S SAD THAT MONEY WAS INVENTED AS A MANIPULATIVE TOOL USED ON PEOPLE.
Animal abuse needs to stop. every state and country need to stand up against animal abuse and hold these abusers and murders accountable.. This needs to happen right away!! These monsters that slaughter dogs need to be put in prison and anyone working for them need prison time. they need to. shut these horrible places down asap!
TIME FOR WORLDWIDE CHANGE
THE GALARNEAU FAMILY
Plastic sooo sucks, look at this poor deer. And the bullfighting, Spain really? Can you please stop this barbaric torture!
Plastic is so fucking wrong on so many levels, we have to go back to glass. Fuck plastic it sucks man.
WE CANNOT GO BACK TO GLASS BECAUSE THERE ARE FAR TOO MANY HUMANS ON THIS PLANET, AND
WITH POOR MANAGEMENT OF GOVERNMENTS BROKEN GLASS CAN DO A LOT OF HARM TOO. SECRET TO
A BETTER WORLD IS TO LOWER HUMAN POPULATION THRU BIRTH CONTROL SO THE PLANET CAN
SURVIVE BETTER ON WHAT IT SHOULD BE IT’S NATURAL EQUILIBRIUM STATE, AND WE WOULD NOT HAVE
SO MANY NATURAL DISASTERS TAKING PLACE..
I hope someone found and helped this poor deer. Please let us know if you were the rescuer.
It is about time countries, including Spain and the U.S., start enforcing littering laws. A $500.00+ fine, plus community service (picking-up litter, erasing graffiti ), and a month in jail, might cause humans to think before disposing of their plastics(and other litter) out in the open.
So spain gets mad at plastic but loves and pays for animal abuse….
https://www.change.org/p/his-holiness-pope-francis-apostolic-palace-00120-vatican-city-end-the-torture-of-bulls-with-fire-in-spain
HUMANS HAVE CHANGED SO MUCH OF WHAT SHOULD BE IN THE WORLD THAT THEY HAVE
LOST TRACK OF WHAT IS RIGHT AND WHAT IS WRONG. THEY HAVE TWISTED RIGHT TO MAKE
IT WRONG, BUT IT IS NEVER RIGHT, OR THEY HAVE TWISTED WRONG TO MAKE IT RIGHT, BUT
IT NEVER IS RIGHT….UNFAIR JUSTICE.
Surely something could be done to help this poor deer!
HUMANS ARE DISGUSTING PIGS…NO OFFENSE TO PIGS THAT ARE SMARTER THAN A LOT OF HUMANS!
People are just plain lazy when it comes to disposing of their rubbish. Poor deer. I hope it survived
Katie Valentine, you probably won’t reply as I’ve tried before, but figured it’s worth a shot. Any other info on this deer (anyone other than the idiotic photographer who let it go)? Or contact info for this guy to find out? This is heartbreaking. By “letting her go” and not going into the ravine and calling for help, he essentially gave her a death sentence.
Thanks for not replying or providing any help with contact info whatsoever. If you provided info on the location, photographer info etc, maybe we all could have worked together to reach a rescue group in the area. I tried to reach several but with no information besides Spain it was impossible. I’m sure it’s too late at this point. Thanks again.
I purchased stainless steel straws (and a cleaning brush) from Amazon.
I live in New York, which now has a ban on styrofoam in restaurants. Yay!!
You can recycle a lot more than you think. Clean and dry yogurt containers, clean and dry juice bottles, c&d shampoo/ conditioner bottles…check with your town hall.
This is heartbreaking. I hope by some miracle someone somewhere was able to help this deer.
I cannot understand how all this garbage ends up where it has no right to be. In the woods, in the ocean, in the streets.
Is it all because of stupid, lazy people that have no regard except for their own useless life?
TRUE, AND THE GOVERNMENTS DO NOT HAVE STRICT LAWS TO PENALIZE PEOPLE WHO LITTER.
“It fell into a ravine and we couldn’t do anything”.
What a fool.
They couldn’t go into a ravine and help it?
What a complete idiot
Jeff you just said exactly what I was thinking. So that’s it..he just let it go? Didn’t call for help or any other services? Idiot is right. I’m more upset about this moron letting the deer “go” than anything else. Unbelievable.
Maybe they couldn’t get down into the ravine
They’d get to the ravine if it was a child.
Fully agreed. I wish I was close to that country. I’d be more than happy to find this poor guy.
I’d be right there with you Michael. This story is infuriating. I’ve tried looking up the photographer, asked the author to reply, (no reply received), etc. I can’t believe he just walked away and didn’t call for help, and do more. This poor animal needed help.