Zahra Malik (Australia)

My acrylic painting shows an unfortunate tearing brown pelican which has been entangled with a plastic bag around its neck. The mother and baby pelican are surrounded by plastic waste which is a major threat to pelicans and other shorebirds. Not only can birds be strangled by strips of plastic, but also the toxic chemicals in plastics can harm the birds and potentially pass on health problems to their offspring. Birds often mistake plastic items for food, and their stomachs can become so filled with plastic items that they die from starvation.