Balloons and Critters
Photo Credit: Pamela Denmon, USFWS
Celebrate! Its birthday time, graduation time, anniversary time, party time! Let’s have balloons.
Balloons are happy and fun decorations to include in any party. Unfortunately, critters do not party with balloons. When balloons escape, birds, turtles and other critters may become entangled in the strings attached to them. These strings can hinder their ability to fly or run and even strangle them to death. Some wildlife mistake deflated balloons as food and the balloons block their digestive track causing a slow death.
Let’s still have fun, but keep the critters safe by making better choices. Here are some ideas:
- Ribbon dancers are long lengths of colorful ribbons tied to a short handle or stick. Kids, or adults, can run around waving these colorful dancers. Encourage guests to make their own by providing handles (short dowels), colorful ribbons, and tape or glue to attach the ribbons to the dowels. Then let your guests dance, spin, and twirl to their delight.
- Garden spinners. These colorful, spinning decorations will last for years and are a great favor to hand out to guests.
- Bunting can be used to decorate in place of balloons. Bunting can be found in all types of colorful patterns. They are reusable and if you are creative, you can make your own.
- Pinwheels, colorful and spinning in the wind, are a great way to attract attention to your event. Here is how to make your own
- Tissue paper pompoms are another colorful way to decorate and another fun family project. Here's how to make them!
- Blowing bubbles. Remember how much fun that was when you were a kid? Bring out your guests’ inner kid and let everyone blow bubbles to the sky. How to keep it Clean and Green!
Let’s celebrate birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, parties, and wildlife!
Remember Saving Wildlife Saves Us!
Tri County Wildlife Care, a local nonprofit started in 1994, is dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of our native wildlife and helping our community live in balance with wildlife. They envision a world where wildlife and people thrive together. For more information call (209) 283-3245, or visit pawspartners.org.