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We've all cringed from images of oil-soaked fish, turtles and pelicans struggling in BP's oil -- and those are just the animals we can see. Over 67 miles of Gulf Coast shoreline (spanning four states) are directly affected by this disaster. Approximately 78,000 square miles (the size of Nebraska) is closed to fishing and thousands of beings -- sperm whale to plankton -- are in danger. Despite heroic efforts, wildlife such as sea birds, dolphins, shrimp, oysters and Bluefin tuna may never be the same.
The day after Obama's I'm-really-pissed-now speech to the nation, government estimates put the unstoppable crude spew at 35,000-60,000 barrels A DAY. Estimates also say that as much as 116,000,000 gallons has already gone into the Gulf of Mexico. (One barrel of oil equals 42 U.S. gallons.)
While BP has begrudgingly agreed to a restitution account for those affected by the disaster, dolphins and brown pelicans do not -- at last check -- keep bank accounts.
The birds most affected by the spill include Louisiana's state bird, the brown pelican, which only came off the endangered species list in November of last year. There are approximately 100,000 brown pelicans in the state -- a number that will surely decline in the days ahead. Other affected birds include laughing gulls, egrets and herons. (There is pointed concern about the reddish egret, which faced declining numbers before the spill.)
As of today, 783 dead oiled birds had been collected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (Also, 353 endangered sea turtles and 41 dolphins/sea mammals.) By comparison, 11,000 dead oiled birds were collected in Prince William Sound in the same time period following the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill. (Ultimately, that number would climb to 35,000.) But don't let these low casualty numbers fool you; the majority of Gulf birds and mammals exposed to oil will simply fly off or swim away and die quietly in the remote marshes of Louisiana rather than conveniently wash ashore as they did in Alaska.
Meanwhile, there's been some heated debate among wildlife experts on whether all the cleaning and rehabilitation of wildlife does any good. Some scientists have been quoted as saying that oiled birds should be left alone or euthanized. Treehugger's Brian Merchant wrote an excellent pro/con piece on this issue here and, as you might imagine, the plea to stand aside and let the birds die is not popular among animal lovers.
"Just so that they don't deceive themselves and the public that they're really having great, grand results and saving lots and lots, a high proportion of the birds. Because it's just the opposite."
--Ornithologist Brian Sharp, on NPR
Furthermore, in their harried efforts to help, many of the clean-up crews have reportedly been seen mistakenly trampling pelican nests. Then there's the toxic dispersants used to break up the oil, which have not helped the wildlife at all, only making it easier for them to ingest the oil.
So where's the good news in all this?
Your tax dollars at work: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have 472 personnel responding to the spill, four helicopters flying wildlife recovery missions and 48 vessels helping with reconnaissance in Houma, LA. They are also working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard and BP to remove soiled booms from rookeries. In short, they are working their little khaki-wearing tails off.
"The truth is that, yes, many have a very good chance of survival. We have documented many survival stories but it is very difficult to follow up on sea birds that live in colonies in remote areas and who basically look the same except for little silver bands on one leg. In most cases we receive less than a 1% return rate on banded birds and especially sea birds that live in colonies that sometimes range in the millions."
Then there are the countless non-federal organizations working round the clock to catch, clean and rehabilitate as much wildlife as they can get their hands on. To get an idea of the process, here are steps in for cleaning, rehabilitating and releasing oiled birds according to the International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC).
All wild animals stress out under sudden captivity and a 48-hour stabilization window is mandatory for oiled birds. No feathered friend will endure the dreaded washing ordeal -- which happens only once -- until certain stabilized criteria is met: appropriate medical
