Earth Day brings us to Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, where this fuzzy Laysan albatross chick is taking in its surroundings. The chick’s home, unfortunately, has a plastic problem. Midway Atoll is part of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, not far from the giant gyre of marine debris known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It’s been estimated that some 100 pounds of plastic wash up on Midway Atoll each week, and most of the albatross population has ingested it (they confuse the brightly colored pieces with marine life). For chicks, eating the plastic often proves fatal. But one resilient Laysan albatross named Wisdom has become a symbol of hope. At 68 years old, Wisdom is the oldest known wild bird in the world–and as of 2018 she was still laying eggs. Sounds like a perfect Earth Day mascot.
Meet our fuzzy Earth Day mascot
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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A story of wind and ice
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Honoring those who served
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Wildlife crossing, Wierden, Netherlands
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Is that a face in the sand?
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Saksun, Faroe Islands, Denmark
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The Big Blue of the Sierra
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Celebrating National Dentist Day
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The Millennium at 20
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Dragon dance performed in Chenzhou, Hunan Province, China
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Infant Sumatran orangutan, Indonesia
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A cliff-hanging complex of temples
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The Feathers at Frenchman Coulee near Vantage, Washington
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Let us introduce you…
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Patriot Day
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A monastery in the mountain
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What happened to these clouds?
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Montreux, Switzerland, and all that jazz
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Aerial view of a heart-shaped field in Trittau, Germany
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Sunny day, sweepin the clouds away
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Celebrating World Wildlife Day
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Marine Day in Japan
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It’s surströmming time
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It s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
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Sleep tight, little hedgehog
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In praise of the old…the very old
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Craig Goch Dam in the Elan Valley of Wales
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Darwin s Arch
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The Bahamas as seen from the ISS
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Aura River in Turku, Finland
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In memory of those lost