California IN BRIEF : SAN JOSE : Balloons Blamed for Wildlife Deaths

Animal rights activists and federal authorities said Tuesday that the remains of latex and Mylar balloons have caused untold deaths among sea birds and mammals who choke on or get entangled in the airborne litter. The problem is “as big as the six-pack problem, where animals get caught in the plastic,” said Rick Coleman, manager of the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. “The sad thing is these deaths can be prevented.” Federal wildlife officials recently found an endangered California clapper rail, one of 500 left in the world, that was killed by the ribbon from a helium balloon. The balloon industry is fighting legislation, calling the balloon death connection an urban myth. But according to the Center for Marine Conservation in Washington, D.C., an unknown number of wildlife deaths have been caused by the balloons. “Releasing balloons is like throwing trash out the window,” said Jil Zilligen, spokeswoman for the center. “It’s just airborne litter.”