The ocean sounds in a drain on the corner of Albert and Ann Street in Brisbane's CBD, were then interrupted by a message cutting through the city traffic: "What goes in here, comes out in the ocean. Put your rubbish in the bin, and Keep Australia Beautiful".
It turns out the "trapped" dolphin was in fact a sound system installed inside the drain. The stunt was an initiative of Keep Australian Beautiful, who are reminding the public of the intrinsic link between the litter on our streets and the effect it's having on our marine wildlife and our beautiful waterways.
According to Keep Australia Beautiful Queensland CEO, Rick Burnett, "Each year, millions of items such as cigarette butts, plastic and glass beverage containers, food packaging and fishing gear make their way into our oceans and rivers through storm water drains."
"This pollutes local waterways and can also injure or kill marine mammals that ingest or get entangled in this litter. At least 77 species of marine wildlife found in Australian waters are affected, with sea turtles, seabirds, dolphins and sea lions being particularly vulnerable."
"So although you'll probably never come across a trapped dolphin in a city storm water drain, people have to remember that all our waterways are connected and that they're actually not too far away", Mr Burnett added.
For further information and tips on how you can help keep our waterways litter free visit the KAB Week pages at www.kab.org.au.
This is a Press Release from Keep Australia Beautiful
NOTE: No animals were harmed in the making of the PR stunt!
Image credit: Suze Chalmers
