Manx marine charity warns of wildlife threat from helium balloons

Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch said the balloons can pose a danger on land and in the sea

A marine charity has urged people to avoid buying helium balloons because of the dangers they pose to wildlife.

Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch said the items created a major threat if they ended up in the countryside or sea.

Outreach and education manager Jen Adams said the balloons could "easily be ingested", potentially leading to serious harm or death.

Although deliberately releasing helium balloons on the island is illegal, buying them is not.

The plea comes after two Manx residents retrieved a balloon while watching minke whales off the west coast.

The child's balloon featuring cartoon princesses was found 17 miles (27 km) out to sea.

Ms Adams said people should consider how far balloons could travel and the "impact it could have on the environment".

"They really do travel miles and miles out to sea and to other countries some times," she said.

Jo Callister retrieved the balloon from the sea while wildlife watching off the west coast

Ms Adams said Jo Callister and Adam Horne had been watching wildlife off the coast as they sailed back to Peel after a trip to Ardglass in Ireland when they spotted the "massive balloon" nearby.

She said the items could "so easily be ingested by a large marine animal" and it would not be "just a one-off event".

"So often whales and dolphins are found around the world dead and they've done the post mortem and they've found balloons and plastic bags," she said.

As well as the threat to marine life, Ms Adams said farm animals were also at risk from eating balloons landing in the fields.

She said: "Wouldn't it be awful to think that something you bought for a good reason... ended up doing something quite detrimental to an animal?"

"Balloons should be in the past in my opinion, we need to move on from them and realise they are really harming the environment."