Billions of discarded Covid masks and gloves will wreak havoc on wildlife for decades

A macaque monkey playing with a face mask in October 2020 in Malaysia. The thoughtlessly discarded protective gear has thrown up a potent new threat to wildlife, environmentalists warn. Picture: Mohd Rasfan/AFP via Getty Images

Billions of disposable Covid-19 PPE items, including masks, will remain in seas and nature for decades to come causing damage and even death, a global study on the impact on wildlife has warned.

The study highlights a sighting of an Atlantic puffin found dead with a mask wrapped around its neck, a cygnet with a mask tangled in its beak and a black bittern bird unable to open its beak due to mask strings.