'They eat all sorts of things': why foraging for food is killing Kenya's donkeys

On the car-free island of Lamu the animals are vital for transport. But with little grass for grazing, donkeys are rummaging through rubbish - and eating deadly plasticThe 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. Continue reading...