Sadly many thousands of animals are killed by litter in the UK every year - they can choke on it, eat it, become entangled in it, or become constricted by it.

The Blue Planet series opened our eyes to the size of the problem in our seas and oceans, but litter and plastic is also a problem for onshore animals.

Of course, we all know that dropping litter is an antisocial and environmentally unfriendly thing to do, but even when we are disposing litter responsibly, or recycling it, we can be endangering animals.

Everyday objects that seem perfectly safe can become hazardous when found accidentally by animals, whether they be domestic or wild ones.

â?¢Tin cans - animals looking for food can get trapped in cans or injured by sharp edges, and so please make sure the cans are clean before you put them in the bin, or recycle them, and pinch them shut.

â?¢Elastic bands - by cutting open the elastic band before disposing of it, you may be preventing it becoming wrapped around a bird’s beak; and always pick up the red elastic bands that are sometimes left on the ground after a postal delivery. They look remarkably like food and could choke an unsuspecting bird or mammal.

â?¢The plastic that holds cans together - always cut the loops before disposing or recycling these holders, because animals can become entangled in them and suffer deep, usually fatal, wounds.

â?¢The seals on milk carton and plastic bottles - these are the little plastic hoops that break off when a carton or bottle cap is first opened, and birds in particular are at risk from them becoming wedged onto their beaks, meaning that they can’t eat or drink.

Simply by cutting open the hoop you will prevent this from happening.

â?¢Balloons - we all love balloons at a party and but please take the time to cut them up into pieces before disposing of them.

They are a serious choking hazard for animals.

And please don’t plan, or take part in, balloon releases - they are as environmentally unsound as sky lantern releases and can cause suffering and death.

An estimated 90 to 95% of released balloons will rise to an altitude of three kilometres and burst into small fragments.

The remaining balloons may float many miles before descending to the ground or sea, semi-inflated.

Deflated balloons or balloon fragments can look very attractive as food to many different animals and any fragments left on the ground, or floating in water, can easily be eaten.

Ingesting balloons can cause death by blocking the digestive or respiratory tracts, and the process is likely to be slow. This has been witnessed in both sea- and land-based animals.

If you find an injured wild animal, or one that appears to be sick, please remember that the best course of action is to take it straight to a vet where it will be given emergency treatment free of charge.

A sad rule of thumb is that a wild animal’s flight or fight instincts are so strong that if you’re able to catch it then it’s likely to be severely ill or injured.

As unsophisticated as it sounds, the best way to catch a wild animal is to throw a large towel or blanket over it.

The animal will usually become calm and still, enabling you to carefully scoop it up (still inside the towel or blanket) and place it in a ventilated box for transportation.

Stress will lessen the animal’s chances of survival and so it should be kept as quiet as possible until it arrives at the veterinary practice.

If the animal has a reasonable prognosis, the vet will ask us to collect it and keep it at Ard Jerkyll for rehabilitation until it can be released.