Methane flares: an invisible menace to birds

Methane flares: an invisible menace to birds


Landfills are wreaking devastation on birds—and for reasons you may not be aware of.

Waste facilities—and other companies, like oil and gas concerns— produce methane gas, which must be disposed of. That’s usually accomplished by burning the gas off in methane burners. The resulting flames often rise up to 30 feet into the air.

But these flames are colorless, so birds have no warning before flying right into them. Small birds are often obliterated on the spot. Larger ones, like hawks and owls, suffer terrible burns that are often slowly fatal. The few birds that are discovered face long convalescence periods in captivity.

Building cages around methane burners can help solve the problem, but most facilities balk at the expense. So, for now, burns from methane flaring constitute a serious problem in need of a solution.

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