They say a picture paints a thousand words. Here are 21 powerful images of animals that can make you pause and contemplate the way we handle our non-biodegradable wastes.

This albatross that ingested far too much plastic.

Plastic is NOT part of the food pyramid, even for animals. Why, then, are we feeding our wildlife with microplastics?

The baby dolphin that was dragged out of the water and passed around for selfies (it died.)



Who can forget the time the selfie craze entered a new low? This young, endangered dolphin was pulled out from the sea and passed around by beachgoers to take selfies with the poor thing.

This rabbit that is being used to test cosmetic products.



This is just one of the many rabbits in laboratories all over the world. Researchers drip chemicals into their eyes bare skin to test cosmetics and other products.

A young fur seal choked by a rope.

A discarded rope was found wrapped around this young innocent fur seal.

This bear cub that got stuck in a plastic jar.

For a little over a week, this poor bear cub had his head caught in a plastic jar before the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission found him and rescued him.

This duck in a six-pack.

This is why we should always snip apart six-pack rings before disposing them properly.

These tortoises trapped in plastic.

It caused them grow disproportionately.

This seal that was strangled to almost death in its own habitat.

This poor seal appears to have struggled its way out of a discarded wire, causing the line to cut into its neck. By the looks of it, though, its efforts were in vain.

This gray whale trapped in a plastic net.

Marine animals die an untimely, painful death as a result of becoming entangled in abandoned fishing equipment.

This sad koala that lost its home.

Imagine how it’s like if one day you wake up to discover that your home disappeared together with your entire family. That must be how this confused koala felt after losing its home as a result of tree felling in New South Wales, Australia.

This turtle that accidentally ate a plastic bag.

Approximately eight in ten ocean turtles die from eating plastic trash.

This bird drenched in oil spill.

A notorious oil rig explosion caused 200 million gallons of slick to spill over the Gulf of Mexico, killing thousands of animals.

This seal trapped in abandoned fishing equipment.

A collection of waste trapped this poor seal, which may eventually cause it to starve or drown.

This razorbill penguin killed by balloons.

This razorbill penguin was found on the shore lifeless, as it became entangled in balloons and other waste.

This stork trapped in plastic

In an attempt to find food, this stork ended up in a landfill site, only to be trapped in a non-biodegradable bag.

A tiny hedgehog stuck in a four-pack.

Trash pose far more perils for smaller creatures, as they can get trapped in cups and plastic bags easily.

This seal with a deadly taste for fashion.

Yes, those are nets and fishing wire around his neck. But no, it was not of his liking. Nets and wires that have been disposed improperly found their way to the poor seal’s neck.

Penguins covered in oil.

When a cargo ship sank near Cape Town in South Africa in 2000, many marine animals were affected. These African penguins are just a couple of a group of 19,000.

This seagull stuck in a plastic ring.

A 2015 study revealed that 395 animal species had, at some point, eaten or become tangled in trash.

This deer that collected trash with its antlers.

Deers have antlers to help them win battles, but in this deer apparently used its horns to collect trash.

This seal that got its nose that jammed in a tin.

A victim in its natural habitat, this seal won’t be able to eat unless the tin is removed from its nose.

This sicklefin mobula trapped by rope.

A nylon rope off captures this sicklefin mobula off the coast of Portugal.

These images show that any kind of animal—from hedgehogs to manta rays, can fall prey to discarded plastic trash. Because single-use items can take up to a millennium to decay, animals that ingest, or become ensnared in these wastes may become deformed, ill, or worse, they may die.

The Earth is our habitat—it is where we get food to nourish our bodies with, as it is the habitat and food source of so many other life forms. We only have one earth, and if we don’t care for our planet, time will come when all the resources will perish, leaving nothing for the generations to come.

Do your part in caring for Mother Earth! Join a cleanup drive, plant more trees, or donate to an organization that keeps nature’s best interests at heart. Let PawnHero help you fund your advocacy for the environment. Add a few more pesos to your budget by pawning your old items with us. We accept almost anything, and you can complete the pawning process with just a few clicks! Pawn via the PawnHero App today!