Humans are considered intelligent because of their ability to think and as the dominant species of Earth, we are expected live in cooperation with nature. But our actions are doing the opposite.

We are not only encroaching on their territory, but also threatening their existence. Case in point, these instances which show wild animals feeding on toxic garbage produced by humans.

1. When a leopard was seen chewing a polythene bag near Corbett Tiger Reserve.

Twitter

2. When a picture of an elephant feeding on plastic waste went viral.

Twitter

3. When a deer was seen feeding on garbage near a forest area.

Twitter

4. When an image of a bird feeding her chick a cigarette butt went viral on social media.

Facebook

5. When an elephant was seen in a swamp of plastic waste in the middle of a forest.

Twitter

6. When recently scientists showed that some wild corals are feeding on plastic trash.

national geographic

7. When a deer was spotted eating garbage at the IIT Madras campus.

awesomemachi

8. When images and videos of a herd of spotted deer feeding on garbage near the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai went viral.

Hindustan Times

9. When a herd of horses were sighted eating garbage, including plastic bags near Hampshire.

Daily Mail

10. When a herd of wild elephants in Sri Lanka foraged among a heap of garbage, swallowing dangerous scraps of plastic mixed with rotting food.

phys.org

Is it really necessary for us to leave our ‘footprints’ everywhere? Can we not leave these animals alone?