Australians are warned not to throw away their hair in the environment, even though social media claims can help birds build nests.
Keith Porteous, known as Wildlife Rescuer Online, said there is a current tiktok trend that encourages people to exclude human hair removal removed from brushes so that birds can use it as nesting material.
Speaking to Yahoo News, Keith said that this trend is obviously good intentions, but in many cases it causes more harm than good.
Keith shared a photo of a bird that was so entangled in human hair, showing apparently visible injuries before leaving her hair outside.
Why can human hair pose such a risk to our bird life?
Sunshine Coast Local explained that human hair is extremely strong and fine, and is particularly dangerous. “I rescue all the animals, but the huge amount of my job is fishing line, strings, strings, plastic, birds tangled in my hair,” he told Yahoo News Australia.
“I often come across hair and it’s very damaging because it’s clean and strong. In many cases it’s not discovered and the bird’s problem may not be noticed.
Fishing line and artificial fibers are “the most frequent entanglement,” but he also said he was seriously concerned about a series of Viraltiktok videos. “If practice is widespread, it can become a big problem,” he warned.
Human hair is strong and durable, but unlike natural nest materials, it does not easily break in the wild. If a bird incorporates it into its nest, it can pose a serious risk.
Hair strength may seem like a useful material, but in reality it is similar to fishing lines where birds, small animals, or even insects intertwined. This can lead to injury, strangulation or death.
Chemicals commonly found in shampoos, dyes, and treatments in human hair are toxic to wildlife. These materials can leach into the environment, contaminate water and soil, and further threaten local ecosystems.
While it may seem like a harmless act, leaving hair behind can inadvertently contribute to long-term environmental harm and compromise the well-being of animals that rely on natural substances for survival. It is important to properly dispose of human hair and not to harm the creatures we aim to support.
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