On July 13, approximately 2,000 customers in Milwaukee lost power due to the release of balloons and their subsequent entanglement in WE Energies equipment.
This alone is highly concerning for those affected, but there are often far more unknown victims of these balloons and their deadly effects. Animals, both wild and domestic, can become entangled and often choke on these balloons. What is a celebration or memorial for you is often a death sentence for countless birds, reptiles, and mammals.
When balloons are released, they must come down somewhere, and that somewhere is often in bodies of water, farm fields, backyards and in wildlife habitat. There are countless other ways to celebrate achievements or to remember those lost without releasing objects that can cause pain and death for other beings.
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Because of this, we were heartened to see Senate Bill 360 introduced in the Wisconsin Legislature by Sen. Tim Carpenter, D-Milwaukee. This bill would make the release of 10 or more balloons illegal into the atmosphere. While we view 10 to still be too many, this is a very good start to addressing the issue.
Paul Collins, Wisconsin State Director, Animal Wellness Action, Stoughton
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee power outage from balloons shows hidden danger | Letters