Farmer Kraig Kerr discovered a 3 month old calf on his farm in Fife had choked to death on a deflated helium balloon on the 21st of July. It appears that the calf chewed on the helium balloon after it landed, and then blocked its airways, causing it to choke and die. Speaking to The Courier, Mr Kerr said that it is the 6th time a helium balloon has landed on the farm in 2026 alone, and that the problem is worsening.

Pictured: A 3 month old calf that choked to death on a deflated balloon

Just looking at the picture of the 3 month old calf after it choked to death on the fallen balloon is enough to make anyone’s eyes well up. It’s a very upsetting sight to see, especially since these types of deaths are entirely preventable.

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. There are numerous instances where wild and companion animals have choked on balloons or got entangled in string from them and died as a result. It is a terrible way for any animal to die.

Speaking about the incident, 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 has 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.”

Following the death of the calf on his farm, Mr Kerr is now calling for a ban on helium balloons and sky lanterns: “Ultimately I’d prefer a ban on balloon and Chinese lantern releases, after all it’s just another form of littering. People may see it as something innocent, but they fly off and end up on farmers’ fields and, in the worst cases, have devastating effects as we found out with the death of our calf.”

Cowdenbeath MSP David Barratt called the incident a “heartbreaking reminder” of the dangers of helium balloons, and said that he intends to contact both Fife Council and the Scottish Government to explore options for preventing other similar incidents.

The dangers of balloons to animal welfare and our natural environment are clear. As a result, Animal Concern has been lobbying local authorities across Scotland to put in place bans on helium balloons and sky lanterns, with several adopting policies as a result of our campaigning.

Additionally, we are engaging with venues which host events that might engage in the release of helium balloons, sky lanterns and fireworks, asking them to sign a pledge to be “animal safe” venues and to use alternative animal friendly displays in their celebrations.

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.

The incident at Mr Kerr’s farm in Dalgety Bay shows how much further we have to go to raise awareness of the dangers of both helium balloons and sky lanterns. Local authorities and the Scottish Government must pursue bans on both as a matter of urgency so that no more animals needlessly lose their lives in such a painful and awful way.

Read the story in full here.

Find out more about our campaign to ban helium balloons and sky lanterns here.

3 month old calf chokes to death on helium balloon at Dalgety Bay farm

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