Donkeys in Kenya are dying with stomachs full of plastic – and other animals are at risk

Donkeys foraging among the plastic waste at a dump on Lamu. The animals are crucial to the island’s economy – there are nearly 3,000 donkeys on Lamu, including some bred for racing. Photograph: The Donkey Sanctuary

The smell of sea water and fresh dung fill the oceanfront air on the Kenyan island of Lamu, as donkeys plod along the town’s dock, ferrying residents and cargo. Lamu Old Town is a Unesco world heritage site, known for preserving its Swahili culture. With no cars but nearly 3,000 donkeys on the island, residents rely heavily on the animals for a living and as transport in the narrow, winding streets of the 700-year-old town, one of east Africa’s oldest.

Now, however, increasing numbers of donkeys are dying from eating plastic on the island, and scientists fear many other land animals are also being affected by human plastic pollution.