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No problem....here is one and I have several hundred more....how many would you like? The latex balloons biodegrade.....over time.....but not before causing the same death and destruction just for less time. I don't support ANY balloon release...doesn't matter to me if sponsored by Crystal, Ron, or the jolly green giant!
http://www.multiplebirthsfamilies.com/articles/ber_q21.html
Helium Balloon Release: a potential death sentence
Recently I read an article about a young whale that had beached itself on a sandy shore. Volunteers worked tirelessly to save this beautiful, distressed and obviously sick whale. It was taken to a nearby aquarium and given appropriate vitamin injections and fed special foods with a view to improving its health and reintroducing it back into its pod. Initially there appeared to be a slight improvement in the whale's health but it was short lived. It continued losing weight and swam listlessly around the aquarium's pool. The veterinary staff finally decided to scope the whale's stomach to see if they could identify anything that might explain the whale's failure to thrive. What they found, surprised everyone. They pulled out of the whale's stomach a deflated, mylar balloon with "Happy Birthday" on it. It had been lodged in the stomach and was blocking the passage of food through the whale's digestive system. This little whale was slowly starving to death through no fault of its own. The story has a happy ending: with the removal of the balloon, the whale's health began to improve and he was soon reunited with his pod in the ocean.
The release of Helium filled balloons at events such as football games, political conventions, rallies, memorial events or just for the heck of it, has practically become a way of life. Sometimes hundreds of balloons are released at a time at such events. There is no doubt as the multi-coloured balloons are let go and drift skyward, it is a beautiful sight. It isn't difficult to imagine their view of the vanishing ground below and further imagine that we are with them flying free up, up and away, perhaps carrying with them a message to a loved one in the case of a memorial event.
What is very scary is where these balloons can end up, particularly when more and more are sent upwards into the atmosphere. Obviously they have to end up somewhere and it is important to consider where their end may be.
The above whale story is not the first time I have heard about released balloons, once deflated, adversely affecting unsuspecting birds and mammals. Bits of balloon have been found in dead sea birds, turtles and in the stomachs and intestines of many different fish.
Please reconsider releasing helium balloons. Please consider the birds and animals who cannot speak for themselves and who end up experiencing an agonizing death as, deflated balloons or portions of them, end up in their stomachs and intestines and they starve to death.
There are so many other ways to celebrate or memorialize without harm. Light a beautiful candle, do some volunteer work, make a donation in your loved one's name but Please Don't Release Helium Balloons. Homing doves or pigeons are a thoughtful and considerate alternative. The birds are not harmed and can find their way home time and time again. They too, make an impressive memorial display as they are released into the air. Helium balloons may carry aloft a death sentence for a unsuspecting animal member of our planet and it is just not worth the price.
