Chinese Sky Lanterns – An Unknown Danger to our Wildlife

Chinese Sky Lanterns can be really pretty things. They are used a lot at large gatherings, and to mark special occasions, or even the passing of a loved one. Around 200,000 are sold in the UK each year, and popularity is increasing. In this use they can be quite beautiful, and really symbolic. The spectacle however, comes at a cost.

And this cost is our wildlife. Most people have no idea, but birds and other animals can become entangled in the wire or bamboo frames, leading to injury, or even slow and painful deaths from struggling to get free. In addition they can mistake fallen parts as food, either by purpose or accident, leading to further damage by puncturing their throats or stomachs with splinters. This danger is not exclusive to land wildlife, as marine animals can also get caught.

The RPSCA has reported on a number of incidents such as –

• A foal having to be put down after his legs were badly injured from bolting through a fence having been terrified by a lantern.
• A nine month old goat dying after the frame of a lantern punctured her throat.
• A barn owl died having become entangled in a lantern frame.

Many landowners have called for a ban on these lanterns, following the danger they present to their animals. The ban is supported by Famers’ unions, horse keepers, sanctuaries and the Marine Conservation Society. These lanterns can also cause fires, destroying habitats and farmland. In some countries such as Australia, Germany and Malta, they have already been banned, and many councils in the UK have started banning them on council land. Biodegradable lanterns are not much safer, as Bamboo takes decades to degrade, the fire risk is not lessened. So whilst these lanterns are very pretty, please consider an alternative, as the risk is simply not worth it.