TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Microplastics have been discovered in the excrement of wildlife in Taiwan, including yellow-throated martens, a sharp reminder of the severity of the impact of plastic pollution, not only on marine life, but also on terrestrial animals.

A study conducted by Greenpeace in collaboration with 14 teams over the past year found 604 units of microplastics in 112 feces samples. A 100% detection rate was reported in yellow-throated martens, the highest in any of the wildlife involved in the research, per UDN.

A total of 18.65 units of tiny plastic particles were detected per gram in the marten, followed by 2.72 in Eurasian otters, 1.64 in leopard cats, 1.13 in Formosan black bears, and 0.09 in Formosan sambar deer.

The particles collected were identified as polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP), materials widely used in the packaging of food products in Taiwan, unlike most international research centered on microplastic fibers, the study has shown.

According to Chiang Po-jen (姜博仁) of Formosan Wild Sound Conservation Center, the high prevalence of such plastics in the feces of the yellow-throated marten can be attributed to its foraging behavior, wrote Environmental Information Center. The predator eats a wide range of small animals and scavenges for food from garbage cans, with Taiwan having reported an incident where a marten had its head stuck in canned congee, said Chiang.

Perhaps more alarmingly is the animal’s uncharacteristic food-begging behavior toward humans. People have been reporting such encounters during the increased sightings in Taiwan’s mountainous national parks.

Environmental groups are calling for more drastic measures to cut single-use plastics. In particular, national parks and conservation areas should be subject to tightened regulations on the use of plastic goods, they argued.

Yellow-throated martens in the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area. (Forestry Bureau photo)

Yellow-throated martens in Taiwan. (Facebook, @leonainthewild photos)