This Should Not Have Happened

On the 21st July, farmer Kraig Kerr found his 3 month old calf on his farm in Fife, lying dead with a deflated helium balloon protruding from its mouth. The young calf had choked to death on the balloon after mistaking it for something edible. 

This should never have happened.

Just looking at the picture of the deceased three-month-old calf should be enough to make anyone choke up at the thought of the suffering it endured.

It’s an upsetting sight to see, especially as deaths caused by deflated balloons are entirely preventable. They have no place in the sky, and no place among animals.

Speaking to BBC Scotland, Mr Kerr said it is the 6th time a helium balloon has landed on the farm in 2026 alone, and the problem is worsening. 

Mr Kerr said: “Animals are inquisitive and sadly this three-month-old calf chewed the balloon that it had found. Unfortunately, the calf had swallowed most of the balloon, making it unable to breathe. It had swallowed so much of it I couldn’t pull it back out. It was the worst thing to find and was just awful to have to deal with.”

This incident is a stark reminder of the dangers of helium balloons to animals. Balloons can float in the air for days and can land anywhere, littering the environment and becoming a danger to wildlife, farmed animals, or companion animals that may come across them and mistake it for something edible.

In recent months, there has been a surge in the release of helium balloons as a means of remembering loved ones who tragically died.

Glasgow Live announced one such intended event planned for last month in Ayrshire. In 2024, it was great news when the Ayrshire Council supported our campaign to ban the release of helium balloons and sky lanterns and implemented a ban for North Ayrshire, as noted in the Ayrshire Daily News.

We contacted the Ayrshire Council.

We included comments from the Glasgow Live post, where over a thousand people wrote upset comments that this was happening.

We pointed out that littering is a criminal offence. 

While a councillor from North Ayrshire responded they were attempting to contact the organisers to encourage them to find an alternative way to remember the tragic loss of a community member, the balloon release went ahead.

Over a thousand upset comments were posted by people who were angry that people were remembering one tragedy by creating another. 

Will one of those balloons cause the tragic death of another animal? 

Balloon release at Irvine Park.

There are numerous instances where mammals and marine life have ingested and choked on balloons or got entangled in their string and died as a result. It is a terrible way for any animal to die.

Fife is one of the councils that has banned the release of helium balloons, just as North Ayrshire was. It is clear council bans are meaningless unless they are enforced, but more importantly, there needs to be a nationwide ban on the release of helium balloons, and sky lanterns, or "skyborne litter" which can travel from private land to council land and beyond. 

We are grateful to the councils in Scotland who have made the good decision to ban the release of helium balloons and sky lanterns on council lands, but clearly it is not enough. 

Animal Concern will continue pushing for a nationwide ban across Scotland, and for meaningful enforcement to prevent intended releases of helium balloons or sky lanterns.

In the meantime, we are engaging with venues which host events that might allow the release of helium balloons, sky lanterns and fireworks, asking them to sign a pledge to be “animal safe” venues and to use animal friendly alternatives.

You can help us with this campaign by suggesting venues you think we should contact to sign our pledge.

There is a strong need for tighter restrictions on the release of balloons and better public awareness of the harms caused by them. We urge people to use animal safe alternatives to balloons when celebrating or paying tribute to a loved one. 

Let memories and celebrations bring new life, not end existing ones.

Please support our campaign to stop the release of helium balloons and sky lanterns.